Tropical Storm Melissa expected to strengthen into Category 3 hurricane south of Jamaica, NHC says

THAT IS GREAT NEWS. ALL RIGHT. YEAH. BRINGING IN FIRST WARNING. CHIEF METEOROLOGIST TONY MAINOLFI TONY. GORGEOUS DAY TODAY. LET’S TAKE YOU OUTSIDE. A SMIDGE HOT, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF. AND I EVEN DROVE TO WORK WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN. I THOUGHT IT WAS HOT, BUT ACTUALLY, IT IS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. I’M GOING TO PROVE THAT TO YOU. MICHELLE NOT THAT YOU’RE A DOUBTER. PROVE IT. TONY I WILL GIVE ME A SECOND. RIGHT NOW WE TAKE YOU BACK OUTSIDE. WHEN YOU SEE CRYSTAL CLEAR SKIES LIKE THAT, THERE’S SOMETHING GOING ON. THAT IS OUR FRONT WORKING BACK IN, YOU CAN SEE THE TEMPERATURES UP TO THE NORTH IN THE UPPER 70S. OFF TOWARDS THE WEST. WE ARE RUNNING IN THE MID 80S. HERE’S THE FRONT THAT IS GOING TO MISS MELISSA DOWN THERE. BUT THERE’S A SECOND ONE THAT ARRIVES NEXT WEEK THAT WILL HELP US ON OUT. YOU CAN SEE THE FLOW. WE’VE GOT SOME GUSTY WINDS OUT THERE NOW, BUT HEY MICHELLE, LOOK AT THESE DEW POINTS. THEY ARE LOWERING AND WHEN THEY LOWER, THAT MEANS IT FEELS MORE AND MORE COMFORTABLE. NOW, IF YOU’RE RUNNING ERRANDS TONIGHT, IF YOU’RE GOING TO THE MAGIC GAME, YOU’RE LIKE SITTING PRETTY, SAYING, WOOHOO! TONY DID IT, I LOVE IT! LET’S TAKE A LOOK NOW AT THESE WIND SPEEDS OUT OF THE NORTH, ABOUT 5 TO 10 MILES AN HOUR. AGAIN, AN UPDATE ON THE MAGIC GAME 8479. COMFORTABLE OUT THERE TONIGHT FOR DINNER AND THEN WALKING OVER, GETTING YOUR STEPS IN OVER TOWARDS THE KIA CENTER TOMORROW MORNING. TEMPERATURES HERE 55 IN CITRA, 61 IN RUTLAND, 62 IN ASTATULA ON INTO THE METRO AREAS HERE. WE’RE ABOUT 64 TO 66. COASTAL BREVARD COUNTY STILL SITTING RIGHT AROUND 70 DEGREES. SO THURSDAY FRIDAY DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THIS, FOLKS. FRONT’S DOWN ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA. COUPLE OF SHOWERS THERE. WE’LL WATCH THE ONSHORE FLOW IN THE RIP CURRENTS, BUT SOME OUTSTANDING WEATHER DO GET OUT THERE. ENJOY IT. GET A WALK IN, DO WHATEVER YOU GOT TO DO SOME TENNIS, SOME GOLF. TEMPERATURES UP NORTH IN THE 70S, SOUTH AND WEST RUNNING IN THE MID 80S. WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE ATTRACTIONS ON A THURSDAY AFTERNOON. DOESN’T GET MUCH BETTER THAN THAT EITHER. LOOK AT THAT LOW 80S FOR AN AFTERNOON. STUNNING WEATHER. GET OUT THERE. YOU NEED THE SHADES. AND THEN FOR HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL, AS WE HEAD INTO FRIDAY NIGHT, OUR GAME OF THE WEEK, THE RAMS AND THE PATRIOTS 7270. LOOKING VERY VERY NICE. ALL RIGHT, SWITCHING GEARS, LET’S HEAD TO THE TROPICS. NOW HERE’S MELISSA. STILL A LOT OF THUNDERSTORMS ON THE EASTERN SIDE OF THIS PARTICULAR STORM SYSTEM. YOU CAN SEE THE WEST WINDS. LOOK AT THE CLOUDS. AND THAT DRIER AIR ON THE WESTERN SIDE. NOW WE’VE HAD SOME TROPICAL STORM FORCE GUSTS EARLIER TODAY UP INTO HAITI. NOT SEEING THAT NOW, BUT STILL A GOOD BIT OF WIND THERE. BUT LOOK AT THIS. THIS IS A FIVE DAY CONE AND IT DOESN’T MOVE A WHOLE LOT. BUT WHAT IT DOES DO AS THE UPPER LEVEL WIND SHEAR BEGINS TO GO AWAY, THIS THING WILL RAPIDLY DEVELOP OVER THE WEEKEND AND INTO NEXT WEEK. AND THERE’S A VERY GOOD REASON FOR IT. IT IS OVER SOME OF THE WARMEST WATERS IN THE ENTIRE TROPICAL BASIN. AND THAT’S WHY WE’RE SEEING THIS RAPID INTENSIFICATION. NOW WITH REGARDS TO THE COMPUTER MODELS HERE AGAIN, THE GFS IS STILL GOING OVER HAITI. THE MAJORITY OF THESE GO WEST AND THEN BEGIN TO HOOK BACK TOWARDS THE NORTH AND EAST RAPIDLY. NOW, HAVING SAID THAT, LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE CHANCE OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS. THEY EXTEND AS FAR WEST AS CENTRAL AMERICA AND AS FAR NORTH THERE AS CENTRAL CUBA. AND THIS TO ME IS GOING TO BE THE BULL’S EYE FOR THE HEAVIEST RAIN. SO WHAT’S THE SAVING GRACE FOR FLORIDA? THAT’S AN EXCELLENT QUESTION. FIRST FRONT IS GOING TO MISS THIS STORM BECAUSE IT’S SITTING DOWN THERE FOR ABOUT FIVE DAYS. SO FOR ME I SAID THIS YESTERDAY, I THINK THIS IS THE MOST LIKELY TRACK. I THINK IT WILL COME TO THE NORTH. BUT THEN AS THIS FRONT ARRIVES NEXT WEEK, LOOK AT THAT WALL OF SHEAR. THAT FRONT IS GOING TO SHOOT IT OUT LIKE A MISSILE TO THE NORTH AND EAST. AS WE GET YOU ON INTO NEXT WEEK. SO THAT AGAIN, SHOULD BE THE SAVING GRACE FOR US HERE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA. SO WE’LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. AND I’LL TAKE A LOOK AT THE EXTENDED SEV