🔗 Share this article Hurricane Melissa Gains Power While Barrels Toward Jamaica The cyclone has impacted nearby countries Hurricane the storm is predicted to escalate to a uncommon category five hurricane as it shifts toward Jamaica, delivering life-threatening sudden floods and rock falls. This weather system, which recorded winds of up to 195 km/h as of 06:00 GMT, is presently veering northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to hit the coast by Tuesday, as reported by weather experts. Advisories of power cuts and damage to infrastructure have been issued as Melissa brings up to thirty inches of rainfall and coastal flooding as high as thirteen feet above normal levels. "Find safe refuge immediately," locals have been told. Melissa is the 13th storm in the current Atlantic hurricane season, which normally finishes in November. Highest-Level Cyclone Risk A highest-level storm is the most powerful category, with wind speeds of at least 157mph. Even though this storm is expected to diminish in strength to a fourth-level storm before reaching the island, meteorologists said there was "very little practical difference in the general consequences" upon making contact with land, and that the hurricane will be "at least that intensity" when it strikes the nation. Urgent Preparations With tropical storm-strength wind and rainfall already expected well before it passes over the island's interior - including potentially the city of Kingston - advisories state that "readiness efforts must be accelerated". "A multi-day period of destructive gusts and torrential rain has started and will cause devastating and dangerous sudden floods and multiple landslides," counseled climate experts. Jamaican Prime Minister the statesman stated: "I know that there are numerous residents who are worried, who are extremely apprehensive, and appropriately: you should be concerned. "Yet the best way to address worry and any unease and concern is to be prepared." Locals are being instructed to secure their homes with protective bags and plywood sheets, and to stock up on essentials. Broader Consequences Warnings are also ongoing for parts of Haiti such as the main city, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is projected to bring comparable impacts by the middle of next week. Rock slides already being caused by the storm have caused two deaths in the country, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency. Future Trajectory The hurricane is predicted to move across Cuba by Wednesday before traveling via the Greater Antilles and entering the Atlantic Ocean. By the point it reaches the Caribbean nation, it is predicted to have reduced to a Category 3 cyclone. Climate Connection While it is challenging to connect specific storms to global warming, experts say it is making weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more extreme. Higher ocean heat generate greater water vapor in the atmosphere, contributing to the development of tropical cyclones. Before the start of the current Atlantic hurricane season, climate agencies forecast higher-than-average occurrence, mentioning warmer seas and likely more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where tropical systems often form.