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Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to become a uncommon Category 5 hurricane as it veers in the direction of the Caribbean island, bringing dangerous flash flooding and mudslides.

This weather system, which registered winds of up to 120 mph as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting north-west in the Caribbean Sea and is projected to hit the coast by Tuesday, based on data from hurricane specialists.

Warnings of blackouts and structural damage have been released as this storm generates up to 76cm of rain and storm surges as high as 13ft above typical tides. "Take cover without delay," residents have been told.

Melissa is the 13th cyclone in the current Atlantic season, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Most Intense Storm Threat

A category five storm is the most powerful category, with sustained winds of at least 157 miles per hour.

Although Melissa is set to reduce in intensity to a category four hurricane before making landfall on Jamaica, experts said there was "almost no noticeable change in the total effects" upon reaching the coast, and that the cyclone will be "just as powerful" when it hits the nation.

Immediate Safety Steps

With tropical storm-strength gusts and precipitation predicted to begin well before it moves across Jamaica's central region - perhaps encompassing the national capital - alerts indicate that "preparations should be rushed to completion".

"Several days of damaging winds and intense precipitation are underway and will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and multiple mudslides," counseled weather authorities.

The country's head of government the statesman said: "I understand that there are countless citizens who are worried, who are very concerned, and rightfully so: worry is natural.

"Yet the most effective method to manage anxiety and any nervousness and concern is to remain prepared."

Inhabitants are being instructed to protect their properties with sandbags and wooden boards, and to accumulate basic necessities.

Regional Impact

Advisories are also in effect for areas in Haiti such as the primary urban center, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where Melissa is anticipated to bring analogous consequences by the middle portion of the coming week.

Rock slides currently triggered by the hurricane have resulted in two fatalities in the country, according to emergency services.

Future Trajectory

The hurricane is predicted to pass over Cuba by midweek before traveling via the Antillas Mayores and out into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the moment it makes contact with Cuba, it is predicted to have diminished to a category three cyclone.

Environmental Connection

While it is hard to associate individual weather events to environmental shifts, researchers say it is causing climate patterns increasingly frequent and more severe.

Warmer oceans generate greater water vapor in the atmosphere, contributing to the development of tropical cyclones.

Before the commencement of the current Caribbean cyclone season, weather organizations projected above-normal activity, referencing warmer seas and potential enhanced seasonal rains around the western African continent - where tropical systems frequently develop.