🔗 Share this article

Hurricane the storm is forecast to strengthen into a rare Category 5 hurricane as it turns in the direction of Jamaica, causing life-threatening rapid inundation and landslides.

The hurricane, which registered winds of up to 120 mph as of 06:00 GMT, is currently turning northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to reach land by Tuesday, according to hurricane specialists.

Alerts of power cuts and damage to infrastructure have been announced as the hurricane brings up to thirty inches of precipitation and sea level surges as high as 13ft above normal levels. "Find safe refuge immediately," locals have been told.

Melissa is the 13th storm in this year's Atlantic season, which typically ends in the eleventh month.

Highest-Level Storm Threat

A category five cyclone is the strongest type, with sustained winds of at least 157 miles per hour.

Even though the hurricane is expected to reduce in intensity to a Category 4 storm before arriving at the island, experts said there was "very little practical difference in the overall impacts" upon reaching the coast, and that the hurricane will be "equally strong" when it impacts the country.

Immediate Safety Steps

With tropical storm-strength gusts and precipitation already expected long before it passes over the island's interior - possibly even the capital, Kingston - warnings state that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"Several days of destructive gusts and torrential rain has started and will cause catastrophic and life-threatening rapid water accumulation and many rock slides," counseled climate experts.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said: "I understand that there are numerous residents who are anxious, who are very concerned, and rightfully so: you should be concerned.

"Yet the optimal approach to address worry and any unease and worry is to stay ready."

Inhabitants are being instructed to fortify their houses with sandbags and wooden boards, and to gather necessary supplies.

Wider Effects

Warnings are also active for regions of the neighboring country including the capital, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is anticipated to bring comparable impacts by the middle portion of the coming week.

Rock slides already being caused by the hurricane have caused two deaths in Haiti, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Future Course

The hurricane is predicted to move across the island nation by the middle of the week before moving through the Antillas Mayores and out into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the point it makes contact with Cuba, it is anticipated to have weakened to a category three cyclone.

Climate Context

Even though it is difficult to link specific storms to climate change, scientists say it is causing climate patterns more prevalent and more severe.

Warmer oceans create greater water vapor in the air, aiding in the formation of tropical cyclones.

Ahead of the commencement of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, weather organizations projected increased storm frequency, mentioning elevated ocean temperatures and possible more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where Atlantic storms often form.