Good evening, Tampa Bay. We’re wrapping up the day for you with the most important stories you need to know and your weather outlook.

Your Weather Planner

Most of Wednesday will be partly to mostly sunny with highs ranging from the upper 70s to low 80s.

A cold front will approach the area late in the day and will bring a broken line of showers after 6 p.m.

Showers won’t last long as the front is quick-moving. 

Some clouds will linger behind the front with lows in the low to mid 60s near Tampa, with mid 50s north. 

Highs: 81

Lows: 64

Rain Coverage: 30% Late

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Today’s Big Stories

1. Category 5 Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica
Melissa formed on Tuesday, Oct. 21, becoming the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.

2. A new fresh voice or experienced presence: Voters head to polls to pick District 5 runoff winner
After several months and a tough special election process, which whittled down the race from 14 candidates to two, Tom Scott and Naya Young have arrived at Election Day.

3. College Football Playoff championship game returning to Tampa
Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium will be the site for the 2029 College Football Playoff national championship game.

4. U.S. launches 3 strikes on alleged drug-running boats off Colombia, killing 14
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced today that the U.S. military has carried out three strikes in the eastern Pacific Ocean against boats accused of carrying drugs, killing 14 people and leaving one survivor.

5. Amazon cuts 14,000 corporate jobs as spending on artificial intelligence accelerates
Amazon will cut about 14,000 corporate jobs as the online retail giant ramps up spending on artificial intelligence.

 

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Your Notes for Tonight and Tomorrow

BOLTS AT PREDATORS | The Tampa Bay Lightning, coming off two straight home wins over the weekend, hit the road tonight for a matchup at the Nashville Predators. The Bolts are 3-4-2 entering the game. The puck drops at 7:45 p.m.

POLK PARKING GARAGE FEES | Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 29, parking fees will be temporarily waived for the parking garage located at 360 W. Church St. in downtown Bartow. The fee waiver will remain in effect for two weeks, with normal parking fees resuming on Wednesday, Nov. 13.

PAYCHECKS FOR PATRIOTS | CareerSource Tampa Bay will be hosting its annual Paychecks for Patriots events, a series of career and resource fairs dedicated to connecting veterans, military service members, and their families with employment opportunities and essential resources. One event will be held Wednesday, October 29 from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. at CareerSource Tampa Bay’s Tampa Center, 9215 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33612.

National Notes

Wednesday, Oct. 29

Bench trial in lawsuit regarding National Guard deployment to Portland, OR. * Case no. 3:25cv01756 * Before Judge Karin Immergut.
Federal Open Market Committee decision on interest rates, following two-day meeting and followed by press briefing with Chair Jerome Powell (2:30 PM EDT)
* The FOMC decided at its last meeting in September to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 0.25 percentage points to 4-4.25%
Vice President Vance and Erika Kirk speak at Turning Point USA tour stop in Mississippi
Advance Economic Indicators Report/ Pending Home Sales Index

Coach Clifford Lim teaches PE at Harvey K-8 at Copperstone. (Spectrum News)

Coach Clifford Lim never pictured himself becoming an elementary school teacher.

Now he can’t picture himself doing anything else. He teaches physical education at Harvey K-8 at Copperstone in Manatee County. He teaches his students the basics and how to live a healthy lifestyle.