Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane. Maps show your path.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to bring days of heavy rain to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica and could cause life-threatening flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center says.

It is forecast to become a major hurricane early next week, according to News themezone meteorologist Nikki Nolan.

Melissa, which is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic season, is not expected to have any major consequences. Impacts on the continental United States.

Here’s what you need to know about Tropical Storm Melissa.

Forecast and track of Tropical Storm Melissa

On Thursday, the center of Melissa was about 280 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and about 220 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, the hurricane center said. Maximum sustained winds were 45 mph, with tropical storm force winds extending up to 115 miles from the center of the storm. It was moving slowly at only 2 mph.

The storm is expected to remain over the central Caribbean for the next few days, according to Nolan, as it is moving very slowly. It is located on very warm waters.

As for the forecast track, Melissa “is expected to be closer to Jamaica and the southwestern part of Haiti over the next few days,” the hurricane center said.

Little change in the storm’s strength is expected over the next few days, but “significant strengthening is expected Friday night and into the weekend,” the hurricane center said.

A hurricane warning is in place for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince. A tropical storm warning is also in effect for Jamaica.

Precipitation forecasts

Melissa is likely to bring between 6 and 12 inches of rain to southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Sunday, although higher amounts are possible locally, the hurricane center said. “Additional heavy rain is possible after Sunday,” he continued, but uncertainty about Melissa’s track and speed makes exact totals more difficult to predict.

“In any case, significant and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are expected,” forecasters said.

Nikki Nolan and Rob Marciano contributed to this report.

In:

• Tropical storm
• Tropical Storm Melissa
• Atlantic Ocean
• National Hurricane Center