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.

The tropics have been quiet over the past week, but recovery efforts continue in the northern Caribbean from historic Hurricane Melissa.

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.

Melissa is expected to become a Category 5 hurricane by Sunday night, Oct. 26, and have catastrophic impacts on islands in the northern Caribbean.

As our island home recovers from unimaginable devastation, we’re calling on South Florida to stand with Jamaica.” — Eddy Edwards, president and CEO of Jerk Festivals USA

Kimali Stephen last spoke to her dad, Albert, on the day Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica. More than a week after he disappeared, the concerned daughter is planning a trip to the island country to look for him.

The Category 5 storm, which left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean, stunned forecasters and meteorologists, achieving extreme rapid intensification as well as a never-before-recorded wind speed near the ocean surface.