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.

Forecasters said the colossal amount of rain dropped on parts of Florida east and north of Orlando was comparable to what the region saw from a hurricane in 2022, underscoring the state's vulnerability to extreme weather far beyond the tropical storms that brew offshore.

A large thunderstorm swept in from the sea and hit Florida’s Mexico Beach early on Monday morning after warnings of a tornado threat. There was a risk of flash flooding amid heavy rainfall in the area, forecasters warned. Meteorologist Jim Cantore called the storm “dangerous” in a post on X and said trailers and RVs in the area had been overturned.

With sustained winds of 175 mph, Melissa is now one of the strongest hurricanes, based on top wind speeds, on record in the Atlantic basin.

After storms lashed South Florida with as much as 10 inches of rain in Pompano Beach and significant flash flooding in Boca Raton, a taste of fall weather is on its way.

"It is more than kind of distressing because you don't know when and you don't know how," said Ewan Simpson, who lives in Jamaica.

A rare flash flood emergency was declared for parts of Lake County on Sunday, which received up to 18 inches of rain.

The two categories combined make up about 17 percent of all hurricanes in recorded history. Those reaching Category 5 — like Melissa — historically make up more like 4 percent of hurricanes. And fewer than half of the strongest two categories of hurricanes go on to hit land at such intensity.