Melissa is expected to become a Category 5 hurricane by Sunday night, Oct. 26, and have catastrophic impacts on islands in the northern Caribbean.

We will be very fortunate if Melissa does not cause a humanitarian disaster, even as Florida is again in the clear of a strange 2025 hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Melissa could reach Category 5 as it rapidly intensifies, with forecasters warning of a potential 'humanitarian disaster' while impacts will be felt as far as Florida next week

Hurricane Melissa is expected to become a Category 5 hurricane on its way to landfall in Jamaica, per the National Hurricane Center Sunday, Oct. 26.

The 5 pm advisory from the National Hurricane Center had increased winds of 145 mph, making Melissa a Category 4 major hurricane.

Melissa intensified Saturday afternoon into a Category 1 hurricane. It will continue to strengthen before making landfall as a Major Category 4 hurricane in Jamaica on Tuesday. The storm will drop two to three feet of rain on the island, creating catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.

Some travel plans in Central Florida are being altered due to Tropical Storm Melissa, which is expected to intensify into a hurricane.