Hurricane Melissa Could Hit Jamaica as a Category 5

The storm is already a Category 4 hurricane and was expected to grow further before making landfall on Oct. 27.

Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa as it nears Jamaica on Oct. 26, 2025. NOAA/NESDIS/STAR-GOES 19

Hurricane Melissa could become a Category 5 hurricane just before it makes landfall in Jamaica on the evening of Oct. 27 or the morning of Oct. 28, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was still a Category 4 hurricane as of 5 p.m. ET on Oct. 26, boasting maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, but the National Hurricane Center forecast that those winds would reach 160 mph by the morning of Oct. 27.