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Hurricane Melissa is projected to become a uncommon category five storm as it turns toward the Caribbean island, delivering deadly sudden floods and rock falls.

The cyclone, which had winds of up to 120 mph as of 06:00 GMT, is presently veering northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is projected to hit the coast by midweek, according to weather experts.

Alerts of electricity outages and disruption to utilities have been announced as Melissa brings up to thirty inches of precipitation and storm surges as high as 4m above ground. "Find safe refuge immediately," locals have been told.

This hurricane is the 13th cyclone in the ongoing Atlantic storm period, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Highest-Level Cyclone Risk

A highest-level hurricane is the strongest type, with sustained winds of at least 157 miles per hour.

While the hurricane is expected to reduce in intensity to a category four hurricane before making landfall on Jamaica, experts said there was "minimal real distinction in the total effects" upon making contact with land, and that the hurricane will be "just as powerful" when it strikes the island.

Immediate Safety Steps

With storm-force winds and rain predicted to begin well before it moves across central Jamaica - possibly even the city of Kingston - advisories indicate that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"Several days of damaging winds and heavy rainfall has started and will cause severe and deadly flash flooding and many rock slides," counseled weather authorities.

The nation's leader the statesman stated: "I know that there are many Jamaicans who are anxious, who are very concerned, and appropriately: you should be concerned.

"Yet the optimal approach to manage nervousness and any apprehension and anxiety is to be prepared."

Inhabitants are being advised to secure their homes with sandbags and wooden boards, and to stock up on basic necessities.

Broader Consequences

Advisories are also active for parts of the neighboring country including the main city, Port au Prince, the adjacent nation and the eastern part of Cuba, where Melissa is expected to bring analogous consequences by the middle portion of the coming week.

Rock slides currently triggered by the cyclone have resulted in two fatalities in the country, according to emergency services.

Projected Path

Melissa is predicted to cross the island nation by Wednesday before passing across the Antillas Mayores and entering the Atlantic.

By the time it reaches Cuba, it is predicted to have diminished to a Category 3 storm.

Environmental Background

Even though it is difficult to associate individual weather events to climate change, researchers say it is causing weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Higher ocean heat produce more moisture in the air, contributing to the formation of hurricanes.

Ahead of the commencement of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, meteorological authorities forecast increased storm frequency, referencing elevated ocean temperatures and potential more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where Atlantic storms frequently develop.