Tropical Storm Melissa Races Toward US East Coast as Potential Category 4 Hurricane

On October 23, 2025, Tropical Storm Melissa is rapidly intensifying in the Caribbean and is expected to grow into a major Category 4 hurricane in the coming days. Meteorologists have warned that Melissa could impact millions of people along the US East Coast, with the storm's uncertain path potentially bringing it to make landfall in New York, Massachusetts, or Maine.

The National Hurricane Center has projected that Melissa will reach hurricane status by this Saturday and continue to strengthen into a major hurricane with winds exceeding 130 mph by Monday. Currently, the storm is generating sustained winds of 50 mph as it moves through the warm waters of the Caribbean. However, forecasters have cautioned that Melissa is poised to quickly grow in strength as wind shears ease this weekend.

While the storm's exact trajectory remains highly uncertain, some spaghetti models show Melissa spinning directly towards New York City, while others warn that Boston could be in the hurricane's crosshairs. AccuWeather's Chief Meteorologist Bernie Rayno stated that "the longer Melissa tracks to the west, the greater the chance of an impact on the US." It has been over a decade since New York was directly hit by a hurricane, when Superstorm Sandy devastated the region in 2012.

Meteorologists have emphasized that Melissa's path next week is still very much up in the air and will be heavily influenced by the natural jet stream flowing across the US. However, they caution that the potential for a direct East Coast landfall remains a real possibility, with several low-pressure systems forming along the coastline that could serve as potential landing spots for the hurricane.