Tropical Storm Melissa was nearly stationary in the central Caribbean on Friday, with forecasters warning that it could strengthen and swipe Jamaica as a powerful hurricane and dump a staggering amount of rain -- up to 35 inches -- on southwest Haiti,

Tropical Storm Melissa, set to become a major hurricane, threatens Jamaica and Haiti with deadly flooding, landslides, and multi-day winds.

Invest 98L in the eastern Caribbean is expected to strengthen into a tropical depression or tropical storm over the next few days.

The tropical wave’s development chances have increased over the past few days, reaching a 60% likelihood of becoming a tropical depression or storm. It is still early in the life cycle of this tropical wave, and meteorologists will continue to monitor its progress and provide updates as more information becomes available.

The National Hurricane Center has bumped up the odds that at least a tropical depression will form in the Caribbean this week. They now have chances in the high-medium range, which is in line with the consensus of the computer forecasts.