Hurricane Melissa latest storm to hit Category 5 in days. What is rapid intensification?

Hurricane Melissa on Monday became the third Category 5 Atlantic hurricane in 2025, and all of them surged up within days/ Why is this happening?

Monday, Oct. 27: National Hurricane Center's update on Category 5 Hurricane Melissa

Article last updated: Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, 4 p.m. ET

‘Little that can stop a Category 5’: Jamaican officials warn to seek shelter

Evan Thompson with the Meteorological Service of Jamaica warned that the impending landfall of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa would cause catastrophic and “life-threatening” damage. Thompson advised seeking shelter in buildings with as many walls as possible to separate them from the outside.
Mother Jones

Jamaica Cowers as Category 5 Melissa Bears Down, Supercharged by Warming Seas

This story was originally published by Grist and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

Latest update from the National Hurricane Center on Category 5 Hurricane Melissa for Tuesday, Oct. 28

Article last updated: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, 7 p.m. ET
Scientific American

Is It Time to Classify Hurricanes as Category 6?

Hurricane Melissa’s powerful winds and drenching rains devastated Jamaica. But is its wrath a sign that we need a new designation for monster storms?

Melissa hurtles toward Bermuda, will fuel downpours in Northeast U.S.

Melissa, now a Category 2 hurricane, will bring heavy rain from the Mid-Atlantic to New England as it heads toward Bermuda and Newfoundland, Canada.
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