🔗 Share this article

Cyclone Melissa is projected to become a uncommon Category 5 cyclone as it shifts in the direction of the Caribbean island, bringing life-threatening rapid inundation and rock falls.

The cyclone, which recorded wind speeds of up to 195 km/h as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting toward the northwest in the Caribbean and is anticipated to hit the coast by midweek, based on data from hurricane specialists.

Advisories of electricity outages and structural damage have been announced as Melissa generates up to thirty inches of precipitation and sea level surges as high as thirteen feet above ground. "Seek shelter now," residents have been advised.

The cyclone is the 13th storm in this year's Atlantic storm period, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Highest-Level Hurricane Threat

A category five hurricane is the most intense classification, with sustained winds of at least 157mph.

Although Melissa is projected to weaken to a Category 4 cyclone before making landfall on Jamaica, authorities said there was "minimal real distinction in the total effects" upon landfall, and that the cyclone will be "equally strong" when it hits the country.

Critical Readiness Measures

With tropical storm-strength gusts and precipitation already expected ahead of it passes over Jamaica's central region - perhaps encompassing the national capital - alerts emphasize that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"An extended timeframe of harmful winds and heavy rainfall has started and will cause severe and deadly sudden floods and many rock slides," advised weather authorities.

The nation's leader the official said: "I understand that there are numerous residents who are anxious, who are extremely apprehensive, and rightfully so: worry is natural.

"Yet the best way to manage nervousness and any apprehension and concern is to stay ready."

Locals are being instructed to protect their properties with sand barriers and timber panels, and to accumulate essentials.

Regional Effects

Warnings are also in effect for regions of Haiti including the primary urban center, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is expected to bring analogous consequences by the middle of next week.

Landslides presently generated by the storm have resulted in two fatalities in the country, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Future Course

This weather system is forecast to cross Cuba by Wednesday before passing across the Antillas Mayores and entering the Atlantic.

By the point it arrives at the Caribbean nation, it is predicted to have weakened to a category three cyclone.

Weather Background

Although it is difficult to associate specific storms to global warming, experts say it is resulting in weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Higher ocean heat generate greater water vapor in the air, aiding in the formation of tropical cyclones.

Before the start of the current Atlantic hurricane season, weather organizations forecast higher-than-average occurrence, mentioning heated marine conditions and likely more intense weather patterns around West Africa - where Atlantic storms often form.