According to the National Weather Service, a hurricane watch remains in effect for Jamaica, even as Tropical Storm Tomas has been downgraded to a tropical depression. The system is expected to re-strengthen today and tomorrow. This means that hurricane conditions still pose a possible threat within 48 hours, according to the site.
Several media outlets have reported that at least 21 people were missing or dead after Tropical Storm Tomas swept over the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia as it headed toward Jamaica and the tent cities of Haiti.
Tomas weakened to a Tropical Depression early Wednesday, but was forecast to pick up strength over the next two days and a hurricane watch for Jamaica was issued by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
Haiti, the Dominican Republic and southeastern Cuba were also warned to monitor Tomas's progress with forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to those areas later this week.
At 4 a.m. the center of Tropical Storm Tomas was located about 300 miles south-southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica and 385 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. A turn towards the northwest, north and then north-northeast is expected over the next 48 hours.
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