Melissa strengthened into a deadly Category 5 hurricane Monday with catastrophic impacts expected across the Caribbean, similar to Sarasota last year.

Hurricane Melissa is a Category 5 storm as of the most recent update from the NHC, with maximum sustained wind gusts reaching 175 mph. The storm is barreling toward Jamaica, where catastrophic, life-threatening damage is expected, as landfall in the Caribbean island nation is forecast for Tuesday.

"Catastrophic winds in the eyewall have the potential to cause total structural failure especially in higher elevation areas tonight and early Tuesday."

Article last updated: Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, 5 p.m. ET

Sarasota County is allocating nearly $14.5 million for the initial phase of dredging Phillippi Creek to address flooding. The project follows severe flooding from Hurricane Debby in 2024, which highlighted significant sediment buildup in the waterway.

"It is more than kind of distressing because you don't know when and you don't know how," said Ewan Simpson, who lives in Jamaica.

On Sunday night, I flew through Hurricane Melissa’s eye — one of the most striking moments of my career and a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse into meteorology that most will never have. It was humbling, mesmerizing and,

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.