Hurricane Melissa intensified to a major Category 4 storm by 10:45 AM UTC on October 26th, 2025, prompting the National Hurricane Center (NHC) to warn of life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides expected in portions of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola through midweek. Parts of Jamaica may have already begun experiencing tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain as conditions are forecast to worsen through Monday and Tuesday. The NHC also issued a Hurricane Watch for eastern Cuba. Over the past hour, the NHC confirmed Melissa's upgrade to Category 4 status, indicating significant intensification. The storm is projected to move towards the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos after passing eastern Cuba on Tuesday night and Wednesday. Additional heavy rainfall is anticipated for southern Hispaniola, exacerbating existing flood conditions over the next couple of days. This development follows earlier reports from October 26th, 2025, indicating Hurricane Melissa had reached Category 3 status with 115 mph winds by 3:46 AM UTC and was potentially threatening Jamaica. Satellite imagery captured at 06:26 UTC on October 26th, 2025, from NOAA21 and JPSS2 VIIRS instruments showed the hurricane with an eye temperature of -23.32 °C and an estimated closest point of approach (CPA) of approximately 350 km, depicting a well-defined structure.
