MIAMI — Tropical Storm Melissa formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday as forecasters warned that heavy rain, flooding and strong winds from the storm could lash Haiti and Jamaica later this week.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for parts of Haiti, while the Jamaican government issued a tropical storm watch for the island.

By Tuesday afternoon, Melissa was about 305 miles (490 kilometers) south of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph). It was moving west at 15 mph (24 kph).

Officials said Haiti and the Dominican Republic could see 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rainfall by Friday, with Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica getting 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 8 centimeters) of rain.

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