Airlines including JetBlue, Southwest and United are offering flight change waivers for destinations such as Montego Bay and Kingston, while cruise lines are closely monitoring the storm\u2019s projected path.<\/p>\n
Airports in the region are preparing for potential weather impacts, and travelers are making last-minute cancellations or adjustments to avoid being stranded.<\/p>\n
What we don’t know<\/p>\n
It remains uncertain how strong Melissa will become or whether it will veer toward the U.S. mainland. The extent of disruptions to flights and cruises in the coming days also depends on the storm\u2019s trajectory and speed, which forecasters say could shift as it moves north.<\/p>\n
Forecasters say it could become a major hurricane.<\/p>\n
The backstory<\/p>\n
For many travelers, the storm has thrown long-anticipated plans into chaos.<\/p>\n
SIGN-UP FOR FOX 35’S BREAKING NEWS, DAILY NEWS NEWSLETTERS<\/a><\/p>\n Zim Thompson, who planned a trip to Montego Bay, canceled for the first time in nearly three decades of regular travel. Cruise passengers, too, are on alert.<\/p>\n What they’re saying<\/p>\n Right now, several airlines are allowing passengers to get a waiver if they prefer not to fly where the weather is worsening.<\/p>\n “You only have one life. You can\u2019t redo your life if something were to happen, so I\u2019d rather cancel and go another time than be stuck in the airport for days,” said traveler Zim Thompson.<\/p>\n Cruise ship captains are monitoring the storm’s path and will cancel visiting ports if it becomes dangerous.<\/p>\n “We\u2019ve been really lucky this year,” said Sherrie Biro, who has cruised before. “All the captains of all these ships know what they\u2019re doing.”<\/p>\n Biro said she has cruised in inclement weather and won’t make that mistake again.<\/p>\n “The waves were so big that they were up to the windows on the dining area, so that was pretty scary,” she explained.<\/p>\n Tropical Storm Melissa to bring \u2018catastrophic flash flooding\u2019<\/p>\n Tracking The Tropics<\/p>\n Tropical Storm Melissa continued to slowly churn in the Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center’s new forecast remains consistent.<\/p>\n Heavy rainfall, catastrophic flooding and landslides are expected for portions of Southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through the weekend, the NHC said.<\/p>\n As of evening, Melissa remained a tropical storm but was strengthening with sustained winds of 65 mph. On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to rapidly intensify into a hurricane this weekend and then a major hurricane, according to NHC projections.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/abf34c0a2f00da5d4567fb2d3c7e7fd0.jpeg\"\/)
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