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With Jamaica now under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch, Manager of the Meteorological Service, Rohan Brown, is urging Jamaicans to be vigilant and carefully monitor updates on Tropical Storm Melissa, which has shown a slight increase in forward speed.

Tropical storm conditions pose a possible threat to Jamaica within 36 hours, while hurricane conditions are likely within 48 hours.

At 10:00 a.m., the centre of Tropical Storm Melissa was located near latitude 15.4deg North, longitude 74.9deg West -- about 310 kilometres (193 miles) south-southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica, or approximately 355 kilometres (220 miles) southeast of Kingston.

The system is moving slowly toward the north-northwest near 4 km/h (2 mph). A slow forward speed and northward motion are forecast during the next couple of days, followed by a westward turn over the weekend.

At a Jamaica House press briefing earlier today, Brown said Melissa could become a major hurricane south of Jamaica over the weekend.

He warned that significant rainfall could cause flooding and landslides, and said the island will experience strong gusty winds starting tomorrow.

"We pray and hope for the best, but plan for the worst," Brown said.

- Edmond Campbell

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