ORLANDO, Fla. - Hurricane Melissa is barreling toward Jamaica and is expected to make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane. Millions on the island are getting ready in the final hours before it hits. That includes some trapped tourists FOX 35 spoke with.

Melissa is not expected to make landfall in Florida or the U.S. The powerful storm is expected to make landfall on the island nation of Jamaica Tuesday morning. At 8 p.m., Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and gusts of well over 200 mph. Melissa is a dangerously powerful Category 5 hurricane.

As Hurricane Melissa barreled towards Jamaica, a Florida hurricane specialist’s visceral reaction underscores the severity of the storm.

Melissa is a deadly Category 5 hurricane and is expected to become to worst hurricane in Jamaica's history before it travels north to Cuba.

Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm of the 2025 Atlantic season, made landfall in Jamaica Tuesday as possibly its worst storm in recorded history.

A Pittsburgh-based non-profit is responding to Hurricane Melissa, which is forecast to cause potentially devastating damage to Jamaica. Brother’s Brother Foundation is sending 14 pallets of hygiene kits, 220 hard hats, cleaning supplies, disinfecting wipes and diapers to partners in southern Florida and Jamaica.

Melissa is a deadly Category 5 hurricane and is expected to become to worst hurricane in Jamaica's history before it travels north to Cuba.