MIAMI (AP) — 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 evening, Melissa was about 310 miles (505 kilometers) south-southwest 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.

Heavy rains blamed on Melissa snarled traffic Tuesday in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, where officials reported at least one downed traffic light as winds whipped around the city.

The country's president, Luis Abinader. was expected to meet with emergency operations personnel on Tuesday night as the storm approached. Meanwhile, the inclement weather forced officials with the country’s professional baseball league to cancel games.