A TROPICAL STORM WATCH remains in effect for Jamaica as Elsa develops into a hurricane before entering the Caribbean.
The Met Service says this means that tropical storm conditions continue to pose a possible threat within the next 48 hours.
At 8:00 a.m. the centre of Hurricane Elsa was located near Latitude 13.1 degrees North, Longitude 60.1 degrees West, or about 1,800 kilometres east-southeast of Morant Point, Jamaica. This is also 120 kilometres east of St Vincent in the Eastern Caribbean.
Elsa is moving quickly towards the west-northwest near 44 km/h and this general motion is expected to continue during the next couple of days.
Maximum sustained winds have now increased to near 120 km/h, with higher gusts, and little change in strength is forecast during the next 12-24 hours.
On its forecast track, the centre of Hurricane Elsa will move over the eastern Caribbean today and continue through the central Caribbean, south of Hispaniola, on Saturday before passing just east and north of Jamaica on Sunday morning.
The weather service says showers and thunderstorms, along with strong gusty winds, could begin to impact eastern sections of Jamaica as early as Saturday night.
Sea conditions associated with the tropical storm are expected to deteriorate over the next 24-36 hours.