Hurricane Melissa Threatens Caribbean; Mixed U.S. Weather

Hurricane Melissa is rapidly intensifying and threatens catastrophic impacts to Jamaica—potentially reaching Category 5—while eastern Cuba and Haiti remain under hurricane warnings; forecasts keep Melissa offshore of the U.S. mainland but coastal areas should expect dangerous rip currents and forecasters say the storm could feed moisture into a late‑week New England system. Across the continental U.S., weather ahead of Halloween will be mixed: ensemble guidance points to a milder-than-normal stretch into mid-November for parts of the Upper Midwest, but short-term forecasts bring cool, blustery conditions and rain midweek in Michigan and Milwaukee with trick-or-treat readings generally in the upper 40s to low 50s. Eastern Michigan will see increasing rain late Wednesday into Thursday, with the heaviest totals in southeastern counties before a cooler, breezy weekend. The Southeast (including Huntsville) is tracking widespread Wednesday rain and breezy conditions early in the week but looks milder and mostly sunny for Halloween with daytime highs near the low 60s and cool evenings. Southern California remains unseasonably warm under a southern high-pressure ridge (Bakersfield around 80, heat advisories in parts of L.A.), while the Pacific Northwest faces another atmospheric river bringing impactful rain Friday–Saturday that could soak northern trick-or-treaters. A backdoor cold front will push through New Mexico Tuesday–Wednesday bringing some of the coldest air of the season and first freezes for parts of central and eastern New Mexico, and Colorado will see rain and mountain snow Monday followed by a significant cooldown; the Southwest otherwise stays largely dry and warm.