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Hurricane the storm is projected to become a uncommon Category 5 hurricane as it turns toward Jamaica, delivering dangerous flash flooding and rock falls.

This weather system, which registered wind speeds of up to 120 mph as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is currently turning north-west in the Caribbean region and is expected to reach land by early next week, according to meteorological authorities.

Alerts of electricity outages and structural damage have been released as the hurricane generates up to thirty inches of precipitation and coastal flooding as high as thirteen feet above typical tides. "Find safe refuge immediately," locals have been urged.

This hurricane is the 13th named storm in the ongoing Atlantic hurricane season, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Most Intense Hurricane Threat

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

Although Melissa is expected to weaken to a Category 4 storm before making landfall on Jamaica, authorities said there was "minimal real distinction in the overall impacts" upon reaching the coast, and that the cyclone will be "at least that intensity" when it strikes the nation.

Immediate Readiness Measures

With storm-force wind and rainfall already expected long before it moves across the island's interior - including potentially the city of Kingston - alerts emphasize that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"An extended timeframe of destructive gusts and intense precipitation are underway and will cause severe and deadly rapid water accumulation and many landslides," advised meteorological officials.

The nation's leader the statesman commented: "I know that there are countless citizens who are anxious, who are extremely apprehensive, and with good reason: you should be concerned.

"Yet the best way to handle anxiety and any unease and anxiety is to stay ready."

Inhabitants are being advised to fortify their houses with sandbags and plywood sheets, and to accumulate necessary supplies.

Wider Effects

Warnings are also ongoing for regions of Haiti encompassing the main city, Port au Prince, the neighboring country and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is projected to bring similar effects by the midweek period.

Rock slides already being caused by the cyclone have caused two deaths in the country, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Projected Path

Melissa is forecast to move across Cuba by Wednesday before traveling via the Greater Antilles and out into the Atlantic.

By the point it reaches Cuba, it is anticipated to have reduced to a third-level hurricane.

Weather Connection

While it is challenging to associate specific storms to global warming, scientists say it is causing weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more intense.

Higher ocean heat produce greater water vapor in the environment, helping fuel the development of tropical cyclones.

Before the start of this year's Atlantic storm period, weather organizations projected higher-than-average occurrence, referencing elevated ocean temperatures and possible more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where tropical systems often form.