🔗 Share this article

Cyclone Melissa is forecast to escalate to a uncommon category five storm as it turns towards Jamaica, delivering deadly flash flooding and landslides.

This weather system, which recorded wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is presently veering northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is projected to hit the coast by Tuesday, based on data from weather experts.

Alerts of blackouts and disruption to utilities have been released as the hurricane brings up to 30 inches of rain and storm surges as high as thirteen feet above typical tides. "Find safe refuge immediately," inhabitants have been urged.

The cyclone is the 13th named cyclone in the ongoing Atlantic hurricane season, which typically ends in November.

Category Five Cyclone Threat

A category five storm is the most powerful category, with wind speeds of at least 252 km/h.

Although this storm is expected to weaken to a fourth-level hurricane before arriving at the island, authorities said there was "almost no noticeable change in the overall impacts" upon reaching the coast, and that the storm will be "equally strong" when it strikes the island.

Immediate Preparations

With tropical storm-level wind and rainfall anticipated well in advance ahead of it crosses the island's interior - perhaps encompassing the national capital - alerts emphasize that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"An extended timeframe of damaging winds and intense precipitation are underway and will cause devastating and dangerous sudden floods and numerous landslides," advised climate experts.

The nation's leader Andrew Holness said: "I realize that there are numerous residents who are anxious, who are deeply troubled, and with good reason: concern is justified.

"Yet the optimal approach to address anxiety and any nervousness and concern is to be prepared."

Residents are being advised to protect their properties with sand barriers and timber panels, and to gather necessary supplies.

Broader Consequences

Warnings are also ongoing for parts of the neighboring country encompassing the main city, Port au Prince, the adjacent nation and eastern Cuba, where this storm is expected to bring comparable impacts by the middle portion of the coming week.

Rock slides presently generated by the hurricane have caused two deaths in Haiti, according to emergency services.

Future Path

Melissa is predicted to pass over Cuba by midweek before traveling via the Antillas Mayores and out into the open ocean.

By the moment it reaches Cuba, it is forecast to have reduced to a Category 3 cyclone.

Weather Context

Although it is challenging to associate specific storms to environmental shifts, scientists say it is causing meteorological events increasingly frequent and more intense.

Higher ocean heat produce greater water vapor in the environment, aiding in the formation of storms.

Prior to the start of the current Atlantic hurricane season, meteorological authorities forecast increased storm frequency, mentioning elevated ocean temperatures and likely enhanced seasonal rains around the western African continent - where tropical systems typically originate.