A Hurricane Warning remains in effect for Jamaica, as Tropical Storm Melissa nears hurricane strength and is expected to intensify rapidly today.

At 7:00 A.M., the centre of Melissa was located about 130 miles southeast of Morant Point and 160 miles southeast of Kingston.

Tropical Storm Melissa is moving toward the west-northwest near 1 mile per hour, and a slow west-northwestward to westward motion is expected today through Sunday night.

A turn to the north and northeast is forecast on Monday and Tuesday.

Maximum sustained winds remain near 70 miles per hour with higher gusts.

Melissa is forecast to become a hurricane today and a major hurricane by tomorrow.

The centre of Melissa is expected to move over central Jamaica early next week
and over eastern Cuba by the middle of the week.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to produce rainfall amounts reaching 15 to 25 inches over parts of Jamaica in the next few days.

Catastrophic flash floods and landslides are likely.