Melissa has already turned deadly across Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the worst may be yet to come with the storm on track to intensify.

Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica are bracing for Hurricane Melissa. The storm is expected to quickly grow into a powerful category 3 or stronger hurricane.

The base commander on Saturday expanded a previous evacuation order to include “non-mission-essential U.S. citizens.”

We will be very fortunate if Melissa does not cause a humanitarian disaster, even as Florida is again in the clear of a strange 2025 hurricane season.

Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to rapidly strengthen to a major hurricane over the Caribbean and could end up being one of the strongest of the season with lives and property in peril from Jamaica to Cuba and Haiti.

Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to rapidly intensify over the weekend, bringing life-threatening rainfall and destructive winds to parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and Cuba. AccuWeather® hurricane experts now predict Melissa to make landfall in Cuba as a major hurricane next week,

The NEXT Weather Team is tracking Hurricane Melissa as it spins through the Caribbean this weekend. Melissa intensified Saturday afternoon into a Category 1 hurricane. It will continue to strengthen before making landfall as a Major Category 4 hurricane in Jamaica on Tuesday.