🔗 Share this article

Hurricane Melissa is forecast to become a uncommon Category 5 storm as it turns towards Jamaica, causing deadly rapid inundation and rock falls.

The hurricane, which had winds of up to 120 mph as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is currently turning northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to make landfall by Tuesday, based on data from weather experts.

Warnings of blackouts and damage to infrastructure have been announced as the hurricane brings up to thirty inches of rainfall and coastal flooding as high as 4m above typical tides. "Seek shelter now," inhabitants have been told.

Melissa is the 13th storm in the current Atlantic hurricane season, which typically ends in late autumn.

Highest-Level Hurricane Danger

A Category 5 storm is the strongest type, with wind speeds of at least 157 miles per hour.

Although the hurricane is projected to diminish in strength to a category four cyclone before making landfall on the island, experts said there was "almost no noticeable change in the general consequences" upon reaching the coast, and that the cyclone will be "equally strong" when it impacts the country.

Immediate Safety Steps

With storm-force gusts and precipitation anticipated well in advance long before it passes over Jamaica's central region - including potentially the national capital - advisories indicate that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"Several days of harmful winds and torrential rain have begun and will cause severe and deadly sudden floods and multiple landslides," advised climate experts.

The country's head of government the official said: "I know that there are countless citizens who are concerned, who are extremely apprehensive, and appropriately: concern is justified.

"However the best way to handle anxiety and any nervousness and concern is to remain prepared."

Inhabitants are being advised to fortify their houses with sandbags and plywood sheets, and to gather essentials.

Broader Effects

Alerts are also ongoing for parts of Haiti such as the main city, Port au Prince, the neighboring country and Cuba's eastern region, where this storm is projected to bring comparable impacts by the middle portion of the coming week.

Mudslides currently triggered by the storm have caused two deaths in Haiti, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Future Course

This weather system is projected to move across Cuba by the middle of the week before passing across the Antillas Mayores and entering the Atlantic Ocean.

By the moment it reaches Cuba, it is forecast to have reduced to a category three cyclone.

Environmental Context

While it is challenging to connect specific storms to environmental shifts, scientists say it is causing climate patterns increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Warmer oceans generate more moisture in the atmosphere, contributing to the development of storms.

Ahead of the commencement of this year's Caribbean cyclone season, meteorological authorities projected above-normal activity, mentioning heated marine conditions and possible stronger monsoon activity around African coastal regions - where tropical systems often form.