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Hurricane Melissa is predicted to become a uncommon Category 5 hurricane as it turns toward the Caribbean island, delivering deadly sudden floods and rock falls.

The hurricane, which recorded winds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting north-west in the Caribbean region and is projected to make landfall by midweek, according to meteorological authorities.

Warnings of power cuts and structural damage have been released as Melissa brings up to 76cm of rainfall and sea level surges as high as 4m above typical tides. "Take cover without delay," inhabitants have been urged.

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

Category Five Cyclone Risk

A Category 5 storm is the strongest type, with winds of at least 157 miles per hour.

Although the hurricane is projected to diminish in strength to a category four storm before making landfall on Jamaica, authorities said there was "almost no noticeable change in the overall impacts" upon making contact with land, and that the storm will be "equally strong" when it impacts the island.

Immediate Safety Steps

With tropical storm-level winds and rain predicted to begin well before it crosses the island's interior - including potentially the capital, Kingston - advisories indicate that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"Several days of damaging winds and heavy rainfall have begun and will cause devastating and dangerous flash flooding and multiple landslides," counseled meteorological officials.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness commented: "I realize that there are countless citizens who are worried, who are deeply troubled, and appropriately: you should be concerned.

"However the best way to handle worry and any apprehension and anxiety is to be prepared."

Locals are being instructed to fortify their houses with sandbags and wooden boards, and to accumulate basic necessities.

Wider Effects

Alerts are also active for regions of the neighboring country such as the capital, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and Cuba's eastern region, where Melissa is anticipated to bring similar effects by the middle portion of the coming week.

Mudslides presently generated by the hurricane have caused two deaths in the country, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Expected Trajectory

Melissa is projected to move across Cuba by Wednesday before traveling via the Antillas Mayores and entering the Atlantic.

By the moment it reaches the Caribbean nation, it is anticipated to have reduced to a category three cyclone.

Climate Background

Although it is hard to link specific storms to environmental shifts, experts say it is resulting in weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more severe.

Increased sea temperatures create additional humidity in the environment, aiding in the creation of hurricanes.

Before the start of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, weather organizations predicted increased storm frequency, citing heated marine conditions and likely enhanced seasonal rains around African coastal regions - where tropical systems frequently develop.