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. The storm will drop two to three feet of rain on the island, creating catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.

THEY HAVE HAD A MAJOR HURRICANE HIT, BUT IT’S BEEN ALMOST 50 YEARS SINCE THAT TIME PERIOD. THAT WAS GILBERT BACK IN 1988. BUT THE IMPACTS THAT THEY’RE GOING TO SEE. WELL, LET’S START WITH THE FLOODING.

This year was, particularly, special for the festival. Hurricane Helene destroyed the grounds in 2024, so the festival wasn’t possible.

With the 11 p.m. Thursday advisory, Melissa was about 150 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and 270 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, creeping north at only 3 mph and packing maximum sustained winds near 45 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 140 miles from the center, underscoring the storm's broad reach.

The hot ocean temperatures and dry air are primed for a potentially explosive hurricane to erupt, with some severe weather impacts possible for Florida.

The rescue of Trooper, a bull terrier, off Interstate 75 as Hurricane Milton approached Florida last year inspired a new state law making it a crime to abandon dogs during disasters.

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - The Florida Maritime Museum, documenting Florida’s the rich history of Florida’s fishing and maritime industry, is still reeling from the effects of last year’s hurricane, officials said Tuesday.