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 8 p.m., Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and gusts of well over 200 mph. Melissa is a dangerously powerful Category 5 hurricane.

"I can't even sleep. I didn't even sleep last night," said Dor Ivey, who has lived in Miami Gardens for 11 years and whose family remains in Jamaica.

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.

Joan Edghill of Ocoee worried about her 90-year-old uncle in Jamaica as the ferocious Category 5 Hurricane Melissa barreled toward the country where she was born.

"It is more than kind of distressing because you don't know when and you don't know how," said Ewan Simpson, who lives in Jamaica.

Supa Jamz Radio in West Palm Beach is helping South Florida residents stay connected with loved ones in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches.

As Hurricane Melissa barreled towards Jamaica, a Florida hurricane specialist’s visceral reaction underscores the severity of the storm.

Melissa is a deadly Category 5 hurricane and is expected to become to worst hurricane in Jamaica's history before it travels north to Cuba.