Best-case scenario: “The best-case scenario for Florida would be if Melissa moves over eastern Cuba or Hispaniola and then gets pulled out to sea. That would spare Florida from impacts, though it would likely bring life-threatening and possibly catastrophic flooding to parts of Hispaniola, eastern Cuba, and the Dominican Republic."

The National Weather Service issued a report at 4:32 p.m. on Sunday for strong thunderstorms until 5:15 p.m. The alert is for Pinellas, Hernando, Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

Slow-moving thunderstorms moving over South Florida are making for a wet and dreary Friday, with some cities already seeing flooding that's causing stranded cars and traffic delays. Forecasters say conditions will improve soon,

Scattered showers and storms will move across parts of South Florida Tuesday. Highs will climb to the mid-to-upper 80s in the afternoon, and it will be breezy at times. Wind gusts could reach 25 to 30 mph.

The rest of the country is expected to see a mild winter, the almanac said in its winter prediction. "But from the Appalachians south through the Southeast and Florida, and westward across the Ohio Valley, we’re predicting a colder-than-normal winter.”

Want to feel a little better? By early October in 2020, there had been 26 named storms, compared to 12 so far in 2025.