🔗 Share this article

Hurricane Melissa is projected to become a rare highest-level hurricane as it shifts in the direction of Jamaica, causing life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides.

The hurricane, which recorded winds of up to 120 mph as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is currently turning toward the northwest in the Caribbean and is expected to reach land by early next week, based on data from hurricane specialists.

Warnings of electricity outages and disruption to utilities have been issued as this storm generates up to thirty inches of rain and storm surges as high as 4m above typical tides. "Take cover without delay," residents have been advised.

The cyclone is the thirteenth hurricane in the current Atlantic season, which typically ends in the eleventh month.

Most Intense Cyclone Danger

A Category 5 cyclone is the strongest type, with sustained winds of at least 157 miles per hour.

Although Melissa is expected to diminish in strength to a fourth-level cyclone before making landfall on the island, authorities said there was "very little practical difference in the overall impacts" upon reaching the coast, and that the hurricane will be "at least that intensity" when it strikes the island.

Critical Safety Steps

With tropical storm-strength gusts and precipitation predicted to begin ahead of it moves across the island's interior - including potentially the national capital - advisories indicate that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"A multi-day period of destructive gusts and torrential rain have begun and will cause devastating and dangerous rapid water accumulation and multiple rock slides," urged meteorological officials.

The country's head of government the official said: "I know that there are countless citizens who are concerned, who are deeply troubled, and rightfully so: worry is natural.

"However the most effective method to manage nervousness and any unease and concern is to stay ready."

Residents are being told to protect their properties with sandbags and plywood sheets, and to accumulate necessary supplies.

Regional Impact

Advisories are also active for parts of Haiti including the capital, Port au Prince, the neighboring country and the eastern part of Cuba, where this storm is projected to bring similar effects by the middle of next week.

Mudslides currently triggered by the cyclone have resulted in two fatalities in Haiti, according to emergency services.

Future Course

This weather system is forecast to pass over the island nation by midweek before moving through the Greater Antilles and emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the moment it reaches the Caribbean nation, it is predicted to have reduced to a category three storm.

Weather Connection

While it is difficult to connect particular meteorological occurrences to climate change, scientists say it is causing meteorological events increasingly frequent and more severe.

Increased sea temperatures produce more moisture in the environment, aiding in the creation of tropical cyclones.

Before the beginning of the current Atlantic storm period, weather organizations projected increased storm frequency, referencing warmer seas and likely enhanced seasonal rains around the western African continent - where Atlantic storms often form.