Melissa is currently the only active tropical system in the Atlantic basin. As of Friday night, the storm remains nearly stationary, drifting north at just 2 mph. Maximum sustained winds are around 65 mph—just below the 75 mph threshold needed to reach Category 1 hurricane status.

Dozens of people were already in shelters in the Dominican Republic, and schools, businesses and government agencies were closed.

According to the National Hurricane Center's 2 p.m. Saturday advisory, Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 160 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 235 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. The system is moving to the west-northwest at 1 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph.