🔗 Share this article

Cyclone the storm is predicted to strengthen into a uncommon Category 5 cyclone as it shifts toward Jamaica, bringing deadly flash flooding and landslides.

The hurricane, which registered wind speeds of up to 195 km/h as of 06:00 GMT, is presently veering toward the northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to make landfall by Tuesday, based on data from hurricane specialists.

Alerts of blackouts and disruption to utilities have been issued as Melissa produces up to thirty inches of precipitation and sea level surges as high as thirteen feet above typical tides. "Take cover without delay," inhabitants have been urged.

Melissa is the 13th hurricane in this year's Atlantic season, which normally finishes in November.

Most Intense Cyclone Danger

A Category 5 hurricane is the most powerful category, with winds of at least 252 km/h.

While this storm is projected to diminish in strength to a fourth-level storm before arriving at Jamaica, experts said there was "almost no noticeable change in the general consequences" upon landfall, and that the hurricane will be "just as powerful" when it impacts the country.

Critical Readiness Measures

With tropical storm-level gusts and precipitation predicted to begin well before it crosses central Jamaica - possibly even the city of Kingston - advisories indicate that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"An extended timeframe of harmful winds and intense precipitation have begun and will cause devastating and dangerous rapid water accumulation and many mudslides," counseled meteorological officials.

Jamaican Prime Minister the official said: "I know that there are numerous residents who are concerned, who are extremely apprehensive, and appropriately: you should be concerned.

"But the optimal approach to address worry and any apprehension and worry is to be prepared."

Locals are being instructed to protect their properties with sandbags and timber panels, and to gather essentials.

Broader Effects

Advisories are also ongoing for regions of the neighboring country including the capital, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and the eastern part of Cuba, where Melissa is projected to bring comparable impacts by the middle portion of the coming week.

Rock slides currently triggered by the cyclone have caused two deaths in the country, according to local authorities.

Future Trajectory

Melissa is predicted to move across Cuba by the middle of the week before passing across the Antillas Mayores and emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the moment it makes contact with the Caribbean nation, it is forecast to have weakened to a category three storm.

Environmental Context

Although it is difficult to associate individual weather events to global warming, researchers say it is making climate patterns increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Higher ocean heat produce greater water vapor in the air, helping fuel the creation of storms.

Prior to the start of the current Caribbean cyclone season, meteorological authorities forecast increased storm frequency, mentioning warmer seas and likely enhanced seasonal rains around West Africa - where tropical systems frequently develop.