Tropical Storm Melissa is set to intensify this weekend, and Jamaica and other Caribbean islands are bracing for harsh weather, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Thursday morning.

Jeff Penner says we have an increasing chance of rain Friday into the weekend and possibly early next week. He’s also tracking a slowly intensifying tropical system in the Caribbean Sea.

Tropical Storm Melissa began dumping heavy rain on Hispaniola on Tuesday as forecasters warned of a significant flood risk in parts of the Caribbean region later this week. The rains snarled traffic in the Dominican Republic’s capital,