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Tropical Storm Melissa is projected to become a infrequent Category 5 cyclone as it shifts toward the Caribbean island, delivering life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.

The hurricane, which recorded wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting toward the northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to make landfall by midweek, according to hurricane specialists.

Warnings of electricity outages and structural damage have been released as this storm generates up to 76cm of rainfall and sea level surges as high as thirteen feet above normal levels. "Take cover without delay," inhabitants have been told.

This hurricane is the thirteenth cyclone in the current Atlantic season, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Highest-Level Hurricane Risk

A Category 5 cyclone is the most powerful category, with sustained winds of at least 157mph.

Although the hurricane is set to weaken to a fourth-level hurricane before making landfall on the island, experts said there was "very little practical difference in the general consequences" upon making contact with land, and that the hurricane will be "equally strong" when it impacts the country.

Critical Safety Steps

With tropical storm-strength winds and rain anticipated well in advance well before it passes over the island's interior - perhaps encompassing the capital, Kingston - warnings emphasize that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"A multi-day period of destructive gusts and heavy rainfall has started and will cause devastating and dangerous sudden floods and numerous landslides," counseled weather authorities.

Jamaican Prime Minister the statesman said: "I realize that there are numerous residents who are worried, who are deeply troubled, and appropriately: concern is justified.

"However the optimal approach to handle worry and any apprehension and worry is to remain prepared."

Inhabitants are being told to protect their properties with protective bags and wooden boards, and to gather basic necessities.

Regional Consequences

Warnings are also active for parts of Haiti encompassing the main city, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and the eastern part of Cuba, where the hurricane is projected to bring comparable impacts by the middle of next week.

Mudslides already being caused by the storm have already killed two in Haiti, according to local authorities.

Future Path

This weather system is forecast to pass over Cuba by Wednesday before passing across the Caribbean archipelago and entering the Atlantic.

By the moment it makes contact with the Caribbean nation, it is anticipated to have weakened to a third-level storm.

Climate Background

While it is hard to connect specific storms to environmental shifts, experts say it is resulting in weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Higher ocean heat generate additional humidity in the atmosphere, contributing to the creation of storms.

Ahead of the commencement of the current Atlantic hurricane season, climate agencies forecast higher-than-average occurrence, referencing heated marine conditions and potential enhanced seasonal rains around African coastal regions - where tropical systems frequently develop.