Hurricane Melissa strengthens to Category 5 storm as it heads toward Jamaica

Tampa's forecast and tracking Hurricane Melissa

FOX 13 chief meteorologist Paul Dellegatto says a cold front is headed our way. He is also tracking the latest on Hurricane Melissa.

TAMPA, Fla. - Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a powerful Category 5 hurricane early Monday morning as it tracked toward Jamaica.

What we know:

According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 175 miles per hour as of 5 p.m. on Monday. It is also moving northwest at three miles per hour. 

READ: John's Pass Seafood Fest renews tradition after last year's hurricane decimate Pinellas County

FOX 13 Chief Meteorologist Paul Dellegatto said recon data on Monday found that Melissa is one of the strongest storms on record in the Atlantic basin. 

He said the storm was so violent that a NOAA hurricane hunter mission was cut short due to extreme turbulence in the storm's eye wall. 

Timeline:

The Category 5 storm is expected to make landfall in Jamaica late Monday night or Tuesday morning, Dellegatto said. 

READ: Guantánamo Bay begins evacuations as Hurricane Melissa nears category 5 strength

While there is a long history of hurricanes making landfall in Jamaica – Hurricane Gilbert being the most notable – Jamaica's mountainous terrain makes the threat of mudslides and landslides from Melissa much worse. 

Dellegatto said it's likely that entire communities will become isolated with no power or communication. He said it's likely Melissa will go down as one of the worst storms to hit the island in modern times. 

The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands are also being warned to brace for impact after Melissa emerges back over the Atlantic after ripping across Cuba.

Melissa claimed at least three lives in the Dominican Republic last week as the storm stalled in the Caribbean, lashing Hispaniola with several inches of rain.

The backstory:

Before the threat of Hurricane Melissa, Hurricane Gilbert was one of the more notable storms. It made landfall near Kingston in 1988 as a Category 4 hurricane. 

FOX 13 Meteorologist Dave Osterberg said Gilbert didn’t produce a big storm surge, because it moved east to west across the island. 

And before Hurricane Sandy made its trip up the east coast of the United States in 2012, it first went over Jamaica as a Category 1 storm. 

Dig deeper:

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season now stands as the season with the second-most Category 5 hurricanes to form, with three. This season now sits behind the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which had four.

Prior to this season, the 2005 season was the only season on record to produce more than two Category 5 storms.