ORLANDO, Fla. – Central Florida will see mostly clear skies and lower humidity tonight.
 A light jacket may be needed early Thursday morning.
Tonight’s forecast
What To Expect:
Temperatures overnight will fall into the low 50s in Gainesville, the mid-50s in Ocala, and the 60s across much of the region.
What will the weather be like on Thursday?
What To Expect:
Thursday will be mostly sunny with lower humidity after a weak cold front passes through the region overnight.
Highs across most of the region will break into the low-to-mid 80s.
What will the weather be like this weekend?
Looking Ahead:
Conditions will stay mostly sunny through Saturday, with lower humidity persisting across most of Central Florida. However, developing tropical activity will bring a shift in the weather pattern this weekend.Â
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As Tropical Storm Melissa strengthens, gusty east winds of 15 to 25 mph are expected statewide from late this week into early next week.
The next chance for rain arrives Sunday or Monday, when a system passing to the north could spark a few thunderstorms, separate from any impacts related to Melissa.
Tropical Storm Melissa
Tracking the Tropics:
Tropical Storm Melissa, the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, is forecast to become the fifth hurricane by the end of the week — about a month later than the historical average for the fifth hurricane of the year, typically around Sept. 28.
Forecast models have shifted the storm’s track significantly westward, keeping its center west of Jamaica over the weekend and into early next week. Strengthening is possible during that period, with the potential for Melissa to reach Category 4 or even Category 5 strength as it moves through the Caribbean.
“Explosive intensification looks possible for Melissa this weekend into early next week,” said FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Noah Bergren. “There is a feasible scenario where Melissa tries to become one of the strongest hurricanes in the Atlantic basin history early next week — that is how favorable the ocean and atmosphere are looking.”
The timing and location of a projected northeast turn remain uncertain. Current model consensus places Melissa’s path near Cuba, the Turks and Caicos, and the Bahamas early to mid-next week, posing major concerns for those areas.
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Only a small percentage of forecast models — about 1.4% — currently show a potential landfall in Florida. A cold front expected to move through the region should keep Melissa offshore, though forecasters caution that changes are still possible.
If trends hold, the mean forecast track carries Melissa across Cuba before passing between Nassau and the Turks and Caicos as a major hurricane. However, several models show a closer approach to the Bahamas, which could bring outer impacts to South Florida depending on the storm’s eventual size and strength.
Forecasters continue to monitor the system closely, urging residents in Jamaica, Cuba, and the eastern Bahamas to prepare for potentially severe impacts early next week.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the National Weather Service and the National Hurricane Center, Oct. 22, 2025.