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.

The National Hurricane Center’s projected track of Hurricane Melissa as of 11 a.m. on Oct. 26, 2025. (NOAA/NWS/NHC).

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.

She was already a Category 4 hurricane by 11 a.m. ET on Oct. 26, boasting maximum sustained winds of 140 mph, but the National Hurricane Center has forecast that those winds are expected to reach 160 mph by the morning of Oct. 27.