TAMPA, Fla. - Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to gain strength on Friday as it heads toward Jamaica.

What we know:

As of Friday morning, it was located about 270 miles to the southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and about 150 miles to the southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Melissa’s winds were at 45 miles per hour on Friday morning, but FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber noted that he’s starting to see deeper convection at the center of the storm, which means the storm will intensify.

Weber expects the storm to either move over Jamaica or very close to the island.

What they're saying:

"This could be a major hurricane as it moves over Jamaica," Weber said. "Then the rainfall because it’s moving so slowly. We’re talking over a foot of rain, so

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