🔗 Share this article

Tropical Storm Melissa is predicted to escalate to a infrequent category five cyclone as it turns toward Jamaica, bringing life-threatening rapid inundation and landslides.

The hurricane, which registered winds of up to 120 mph as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting north-west in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to reach land by Tuesday, according to weather experts.

Advisories of power cuts and damage to infrastructure have been announced as Melissa generates up to 76cm of precipitation and sea level surges as high as 13ft above normal levels. "Seek shelter now," locals have been urged.

The cyclone is the 13th named storm in this year's Atlantic storm period, which usually concludes in the eleventh month.

Highest-Level Cyclone Risk

A category five storm is the most intense classification, with wind speeds of at least 157mph.

While the hurricane is expected to diminish in strength to a fourth-level hurricane before reaching the island, meteorologists said there was "almost no noticeable change in the overall impacts" upon landfall, and that the cyclone will be "equally strong" when it strikes the island.

Critical Preparations

With storm-force gusts and precipitation predicted to begin long before it passes over the island's interior - possibly even the capital, Kingston - warnings emphasize that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"Several days of harmful winds and torrential rain has started and will cause severe and deadly rapid water accumulation and many rock slides," counseled climate experts.

The nation's leader the statesman said: "I know that there are numerous residents who are worried, who are very concerned, and rightfully so: concern is justified.

"But the most effective method to address worry and any nervousness and worry is to stay ready."

Locals are being advised to fortify their houses with sandbags and timber panels, and to accumulate essentials.

Broader Effects

Advisories are also in effect for areas in the neighboring country including the main city, Port au Prince, the neighboring country and the eastern part of Cuba, where Melissa is expected to bring comparable impacts by the middle of next week.

Rock slides already being caused by the cyclone have already killed two in the country, according to local authorities.

Projected Course

This weather system is forecast to cross Cuba by Wednesday before passing across the Caribbean archipelago and emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the time it reaches Cuba, it is predicted to have weakened to a Category 3 hurricane.

Climate Background

Although it is challenging to associate particular meteorological occurrences to global warming, researchers say it is resulting in climate patterns increasingly frequent and more intense.

Increased sea temperatures create additional humidity in the atmosphere, contributing to the creation of storms.

Prior to the start of the current Caribbean cyclone season, climate agencies projected higher-than-average occurrence, referencing warmer seas and likely more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where tropical systems frequently develop.