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.

Hurricane Melissa is on track to rapidly strenghten and could become a major Category 5 hurricane, according to the NHC, Saturday, Oct. 25.

Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane within days. Although the exact track is uncertain, some models bring it close to Florida’s east coast.

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.

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 Kate, which struck the Florida Panhandle on November 21, 1985, remains the latest hurricane on record to make landfall in the continental United States.