A rescue plane with more than two dozen Floridians who were in Jamaica landed at Tampa International Airport on Saturday – days after Hurricane Melissa struck the Caribbean island, Gov. Ron DeSantis said.

After devastating Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas, Hurricane Melissa is heading toward Bermuda. Will it affect Florida?

Hurricane Melissa is expected to continue strengthening and become a Category 5 hurricane, according to the NHC, Saturday, Oct. 25.

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.

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 2 p.m., Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 165 mph with higher gusts. Melissa is a dangerously powerful Category 5 hurricane.

By Dec. 30, when Tropical Storm Zeta formed, National Hurricane Center forecasters had run through the alphabetized list of storm names and had to use Greek letters. Wilma was blamed for 22 deaths, including five in South Florida; it caused $20.6 billion ...

Historic, life-threatening flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of Jamaica, southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the weekend, the NHC said. Peak storm surge heights could reach 9 to 13 feet above normal tide levels in Jamaica, accompanied by large and powerfully destructive waves.

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened back into a Category 2 hurricane after devastating Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas and is heading toweard Bermuda.

At 5 p.m., Melissa was located about 80 miles south of the Central Bahamas. Melissa is not expected to make landfall in Florida or the U.S. The powerful storm made landfall on Jamaica Tuesday morning and on Cuba early Wednesday morning. It's expected to move across the Bahamas later today and pass near Bermuda late Thursday.

In Cooper City, Brittany and Dwayne Wolfe have offered up their home as a drop-off site for diapers and other necessities. The couple are the cofounders of The Greater Fort Lauderdale Diaper Bank, and many of the organization’s volunteers and supporters grew up in Jamaica or still have family on the island.