🔗 Share this article Hurricane Melissa Intensifies As It Heads Toward Jamaica The hurricane has already affected Haiti and the Dominican Republic Cyclone the storm is projected to become a uncommon Category 5 cyclone as it turns in the direction of the Caribbean island, bringing life-threatening flash flooding and landslides. The cyclone, which had winds of up to 195 km/h as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting northwest in the Caribbean and is expected to make landfall by Tuesday, according to hurricane specialists. Advisories of electricity outages and structural damage have been announced as Melissa generates up to 30 inches of rainfall and coastal flooding as high as thirteen feet above typical tides. "Find safe refuge immediately," locals have been advised. Melissa is the 13th named hurricane in the ongoing Atlantic storm period, which typically ends in November. Highest-Level Cyclone Threat A category five hurricane is the most powerful category, with winds of at least 252 km/h. While Melissa is expected to reduce in intensity to a fourth-level cyclone before arriving at the island, meteorologists said there was "minimal real distinction in the total effects" upon reaching the coast, and that the storm will be "just as powerful" when it hits the country. Critical Safety Steps With tropical storm-level gusts and precipitation anticipated well in advance ahead of it crosses the island's interior - perhaps encompassing the city of Kingston - alerts indicate that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly". "An extended timeframe of destructive gusts and intense precipitation have begun and will cause catastrophic and life-threatening rapid water accumulation and numerous mudslides," counseled climate experts. The country's head of government the statesman stated: "I know that there are many Jamaicans who are anxious, who are extremely apprehensive, and appropriately: concern is justified. "Yet the optimal approach to handle worry and any apprehension and worry is to remain prepared." Locals are being instructed to secure their homes with sandbags and wooden boards, and to stock up on basic necessities. Regional Consequences Advisories are also in effect for regions of the neighboring country including the primary urban center, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is anticipated to bring similar effects by the midweek period. Rock slides presently generated by the hurricane have already killed two in Haiti, according to emergency services. Expected Course Melissa is predicted to move across Cuba by Wednesday before moving through the Caribbean archipelago and out into the Atlantic Ocean. By the moment it arrives at the Caribbean nation, it is forecast to have weakened to a category three storm. Weather Context Although it is difficult to link particular meteorological occurrences to climate change, researchers say it is causing climate patterns increasingly frequent and more intense. Higher ocean heat create greater water vapor in the environment, helping fuel the formation of storms. Before the start of the current Caribbean cyclone season, climate agencies predicted above-normal activity, citing heated marine conditions and potential more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where hurricanes frequently develop.