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Tropical Storm Melissa is predicted to escalate to a infrequent highest-level hurricane as it shifts in the direction of the Caribbean island, bringing life-threatening sudden floods and rock falls.

This weather system, which registered wind speeds of up to 195 km/h as of 06:00 GMT, is presently veering northwest in the Caribbean region and is expected to reach land by early next week, as reported by hurricane specialists.

Advisories of blackouts and damage to infrastructure have been released as the hurricane generates up to thirty inches of precipitation and coastal flooding as high as 4m above normal levels. "Find safe refuge immediately," locals have been told.

The cyclone is the 13th named hurricane in the current Atlantic storm period, which typically ends in the eleventh month.

Category Five Cyclone Threat

A category five storm is the most intense classification, with sustained winds of at least 157mph.

While Melissa is expected to reduce in intensity to a Category 4 cyclone before making landfall on Jamaica, meteorologists said there was "almost no noticeable change in the total effects" upon making contact with land, and that the cyclone will be "equally strong" when it hits the country.

Urgent Preparations

With storm-force gusts and precipitation already expected well before it moves across the island's interior - possibly even the national capital - alerts indicate that "preparations should be rushed to completion".

"A multi-day period of harmful winds and intense precipitation has started and will cause catastrophic and life-threatening rapid water accumulation and multiple landslides," advised climate experts.

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

"However the best way to address nervousness and any nervousness and worry is to be prepared."

Inhabitants are being told to fortify their houses with protective bags and timber panels, and to stock up on necessary supplies.

Regional Consequences

Advisories are also ongoing for parts of Haiti including the capital, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where this storm is projected to bring comparable impacts by the middle of next week.

Mudslides presently generated by the hurricane have resulted in two fatalities in the country, according to emergency services.

Expected Course

This weather system is forecast to move across Cuba by midweek before passing across the Greater Antilles and emerging into the Atlantic.

By the point it makes contact with Cuba, it is forecast to have diminished to a third-level storm.

Environmental Connection

Even though it is difficult to associate specific storms to climate change, scientists say it is making weather phenomena more common and more extreme.

Higher ocean heat create greater water vapor in the air, contributing to the development of hurricanes.

Before the start of the current Atlantic hurricane season, weather organizations predicted above-normal activity, referencing warmer seas and likely enhanced seasonal rains around West Africa - where Atlantic storms typically originate.