Iris threatens Caribbean, could become a hurricane

Satellite image of Tropical Storm Iris taken Saturday at 8:41 a.m. EDT.

MIAMI (CNN) -- Tropical Storm Iris was approaching Haiti and Jamaica on Saturday and could become a hurricane within hours, the National Weather Service said Saturday.

Dangerous, battering waves, some 5 feet (1.5 m) above normal, were predicted Saturday along the southern coast of Hispaniola, the island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

With winds reaching nearly 65 mph (105 km/h), Iris was about 65 miles (105 km) south-southeast of Barahona, Dominican Republic, the NWS reported at 11 a.m. EDT.

The tropical storm, moving west-northwest at almost 16 mph (26 km/h), was expected to pass near Haiti late Saturday.

The storm system could become a hurricane during the night and approach Jamaica early Sunday, the NWS said.

A hurricane warning remains in effect along the southern coast of Hispaniola. A hurricane watch is still in effect for eastern Cuba.

Tropical storm conditions spread into the southern Dominican Republic Saturday morning. The weather service said the region could receive up to 8 inches (20 cm) of rain.

The Atlantic hurricane season, which lasts from June 1 to November 30, has so far given rise to four hurricanes and nine named tropical storms.

Weather systems are considered tropical storms if they attain maximum sustained wind speeds of 39 mph (63 km/h). Tropical storms are classified as hurricanes if their maximum sustained winds reach or exceed 74 mph (119 km/h).