A damaging tornado has been confirmed over Rose Bluff, Louisiana, and is moving toward the Lake Charles area, according to a social media post at 5:00 AM UTC on October 26th by meteorologist WeatherWatcherX. A Tornado Warning has been issued for Calcasieu Parish, LA, until midnight CDT, with radar indicating tighter circulation east of Sulphur, LA. Residents in the warned areas are urged to seek shelter immediately. The area of rotation west of Lake Charles is expected to move over water, potentially allowing for intensification due to lower friction, and is tracking towards downtown Lake Charles, as stated by WeatherWatcherX. This development follows previous reports of a Quaseline Shower (QLCS) tornado threat in southeast Louisiana as of October 26th. In separate weather news, Hurricane Melissa is intensifying and exhibiting a "buzzsaw" appearance with healthy outflow, according to meteorologist Jeremy DeHart. DeHart noted observations of "square" mesovortices, a phenomenon seen in only the strongest hurricanes, suggesting Melissa may reach Category 5 status by tomorrow. Previous reports indicated Melissa had intensified to Category 3 with 115 mph winds by 3:46 AM UTC on October 26th and was potentially threatening Jamaica as a Category 5 storm.
