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Cyclone the storm is predicted to become a infrequent highest-level storm as it shifts towards the Caribbean island, bringing deadly sudden floods and mudslides.

This weather system, which recorded wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is currently turning northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to reach land by early next week, based on data from weather experts.

Alerts of electricity outages and structural damage have been issued as Melissa brings up to 76cm of rain and coastal flooding as high as 4m above ground. "Find safe refuge immediately," inhabitants have been advised.

Melissa is the 13th cyclone in the ongoing Atlantic storm period, which normally finishes in late autumn.

Most Intense Storm Danger

A Category 5 hurricane is the most powerful category, with wind speeds of at least 252 km/h.

Even though the hurricane is expected to reduce in intensity to a Category 4 hurricane before making landfall on the island, experts said there was "minimal real distinction in the overall impacts" upon making contact with land, and that the cyclone will be "just as powerful" when it strikes the island.

Immediate Readiness Measures

With storm-force gusts and precipitation already expected long before it crosses central Jamaica - including potentially the capital, Kingston - alerts state that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"A multi-day period of damaging winds and heavy rainfall have begun and will cause devastating and dangerous sudden floods and many mudslides," urged climate experts.

The nation's leader the official said: "I realize that there are many Jamaicans who are worried, who are deeply troubled, and appropriately: you should be concerned.

"However the optimal approach to address anxiety and any apprehension and anxiety is to be prepared."

Inhabitants are being advised to secure their homes with sandbags and wooden boards, and to stock up on necessary supplies.

Broader Impact

Warnings are also ongoing for regions of the neighboring country including the main city, Port au Prince, the neighboring country and the eastern part of Cuba, where Melissa is expected to bring analogous consequences by the middle portion of the coming week.

Landslides presently generated by the cyclone have already killed two in Haiti, according to local authorities.

Future Course

Melissa is projected to move across the island nation by midweek before moving through the Caribbean archipelago and emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the point it reaches the Caribbean nation, it is anticipated to have diminished to a Category 3 cyclone.

Weather Context

Although it is challenging to associate individual weather events to climate change, scientists say it is resulting in climate patterns increasingly frequent and more intense.

Higher ocean heat create more moisture in the atmosphere, helping fuel the development of storms.

Before the beginning of this year's Atlantic hurricane season, weather organizations predicted higher-than-average occurrence, referencing heated marine conditions and likely more intense weather patterns around African coastal regions - where hurricanes frequently develop.