KINGSTON, Jamaica — It appears Jamaica will miss the worst of Hurricane Elsa as the weakening weather system moved towards southern Haiti on Saturday morning.

On this basis, the Meteorological Service of Jamaica said it is likely that the hurricane warning currently in effect for Jamaica will soon be downgraded to a tropical storm warning.

The Category 1 storm was located about 110 miles (175 kilometers) east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic and was moving west-northwest at 31 mph (50 kph). It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), with the hurricane expected to become a tropical storm after hitting Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

The long-term forecast track showed it heading toward Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning, but some models would carry it into the Gulf or up the Atlantic Coast.

In Haiti, authorities used social media to alert people about the hurricane and urged them to evacuate if they lived near water or mountain flanks.

“The whole country is threatened by this hurricane,” the Civil Protection Agency said in a statement. “Make every effort to escape before it’s too late.”

Haiti is especially vulnerable to floods and landslides because of widespread erosion and deforestation. 

Additional reporting by the Associated Press