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Cyclone Melissa is forecast to strengthen into a infrequent category five storm as it veers in the direction of Jamaica, bringing deadly sudden floods and landslides.

This weather system, which recorded wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 6:00 AM GMT, is now shifting toward the northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is projected to hit the coast by midweek, based on data from meteorological authorities.

Alerts of electricity outages and structural damage have been released as Melissa generates up to 76cm of rain and sea level surges as high as 4m above normal levels. "Find safe refuge immediately," residents have been told.

Melissa is the thirteenth storm in the ongoing Atlantic hurricane season, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Category Five Storm Risk

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

Even though the hurricane is set to weaken to a fourth-level hurricane before arriving at the island, experts said there was "very little practical difference in the general consequences" upon making contact with land, and that the storm will be "just as powerful" when it strikes the island.

Urgent Preparations

With tropical storm-level wind and rainfall predicted to begin well before it passes over central Jamaica - including potentially the national capital - alerts emphasize that "preparations should be rushed to completion".

"A multi-day period of destructive gusts and torrential rain have begun and will cause severe and deadly sudden floods and many mudslides," urged weather authorities.

The country's head of government the statesman said: "I realize that there are countless citizens who are concerned, who are extremely apprehensive, and rightfully so: concern is justified.

"But the best way to manage worry and any apprehension and worry is to be prepared."

Residents are being told to fortify their houses with sand barriers and plywood sheets, and to stock up on basic necessities.

Regional Effects

Alerts are also in effect for parts of Haiti including the main city, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and Cuba's eastern region, where Melissa is expected to bring analogous consequences by the middle of next week.

Landslides presently generated by the hurricane have resulted in two fatalities in the country, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Future Path

The hurricane is projected to move across the island nation by Wednesday before passing across the Caribbean archipelago and entering the Atlantic.

By the time it arrives at the Caribbean nation, it is predicted to have diminished to a category three storm.

Climate Connection

Even though it is hard to associate particular meteorological occurrences to environmental shifts, scientists say it is making weather phenomena more common and more intense.

Warmer oceans generate more moisture in the atmosphere, helping fuel the creation of hurricanes.

Before the beginning of this season's Caribbean cyclone season, meteorological authorities projected above-normal activity, citing heated marine conditions and potential enhanced seasonal rains around African coastal regions - where hurricanes frequently develop.