The National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. Thursday advisory reported that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 185 miles south-southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 295 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the system is moving to the north-northwest at 2 mph.

Tropical Storm Melissa is barely moving through the Caribbean, and that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous. The longer it lingers, the more rain it dumps. Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic could face days of relentless downpours and mudslides.

Melissa was expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday and approach Jamaica and southwest Haiti later this week

With slow-moving Tropical Storm Melissa expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Saturday as it churns towards Jamaica and southwest Haiti, the United Nations said Friday it’s actively helping the Caribbean respond to any devastation.

AccuWeather's lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva was live on the AccuWeather Network on Oct. 23 to discuss the latest on Melissa.