Melissa developed into a deadly Category 5 hurricane Monday, Oct. 27, and is expected to have historically catastrophic impacts on the northern Caribbean.

However, Melissa could be the most powerful hurricane ever to hit Jamaica, according to the NHC. It's forecast to bring "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic" flash flooding and landslides to the area and the southern parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba over the next few days.

Hurricane Melissa is expected to continue strengthening and become a Category 5 hurricane, according to the NHC, Saturday, Oct. 25.

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.

South Florida organizations are rapidly mobilizing a comprehensive relief campaign for Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches the island nation.

Melissa could briefly bring a swell and rough seas to the U.S. East Coast after it passes the Bahamas later in the week, but because of the angle and speed at which it's moving off into the Atlantic, Roth said any coastal impacts should be short-lived.

According to the hurricane center, Hurricane Melissa has a significant possibility of making landfall on Jamaica as a major hurricane and could maintain major hurricane strength when it reaches eastern Cuba. Forecasters say Melissa poses little to no risk for Florida and the U.S. at this time.

With loved ones caught in Hurricane Melissa’s path, South Florida’s Caribbean community is leading local relief efforts and gathering vital aid for those left without power or supplies.

The USS Nimitz is returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after having been deployed to the Middle East for most of the summer as part of the U.S. response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The carrier is on its final deployment before decommissioning.