Strengthening storm Grace pummels Jamaica with heavy rain, wind

FILE PHOTO: A woman walks next to a tarp in a makeshift camp after tropical depression Grace passed through the area following Saturday's 7.2 magnitude quake, in Les Cayes, Haiti August 17, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Ardueng

KINGSTON (Reuters) - Tropical Storm Grace pounded Jamaica with heavy rain and wind on Tuesday after causing flooding in parts of Haiti, which is scrambling to deal with a major earthquake at the weekend that killed more than 1,400 people.

Grace, which is expected to become a hurricane by the time it hits Mexico's Yucatan peninsula on Thursday, was by late morning about 110 miles (177 kilometers) east of Montego Bay with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85km/h), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Higher gusts were reported.