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Hurricane Melissa is projected to become a infrequent Category 5 storm as it shifts towards Jamaica, bringing deadly flash flooding and mudslides.

This weather system, which recorded wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 6:00 AM GMT, is currently turning toward the northwest in the Caribbean and is expected to reach land by midweek, based on data from hurricane specialists.

Warnings of blackouts and structural damage have been issued as this storm generates up to 30 inches of rain and coastal flooding as high as 13ft above typical tides. "Seek shelter now," locals have been told.

Melissa is the 13th cyclone in this year's Atlantic season, which typically ends in November.

Highest-Level Storm Risk

A category five hurricane is the strongest type, with sustained winds of at least 157 miles per hour.

Even though the hurricane is set to diminish in strength to a category four cyclone before reaching Jamaica, authorities said there was "minimal real distinction in the general consequences" upon landfall, and that the cyclone will be "at least that intensity" when it impacts the country.

Critical Safety Steps

With tropical storm-level wind and rainfall anticipated well in advance well before it moves across the island's interior - including potentially the city of Kingston - advisories indicate that "readiness efforts must be accelerated".

"A multi-day period of harmful winds and torrential rain have begun and will cause catastrophic and life-threatening rapid water accumulation and numerous mudslides," counseled climate experts.

The nation's leader Andrew Holness stated: "I realize that there are many Jamaicans who are worried, who are very concerned, and appropriately: you should be concerned.

"But the best way to manage anxiety and any apprehension and anxiety is to be prepared."

Residents are being instructed to secure their homes with sand barriers and timber panels, and to gather essentials.

Regional Consequences

Advisories are also ongoing for areas in Haiti such as the primary urban center, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is projected to bring analogous consequences by the middle of next week.

Rock slides currently triggered by the storm have caused two deaths in the country, according to the nation's Civil Protection agency.

Projected Trajectory

Melissa is predicted to cross Cuba by midweek before moving through the Caribbean archipelago and out into the Atlantic.

By the point it arrives at Cuba, it is predicted to have diminished to a category three hurricane.

Environmental Connection

Even though it is challenging to associate individual weather events to environmental shifts, experts say it is resulting in meteorological events more prevalent and more severe.

Increased sea temperatures create additional humidity in the environment, helping fuel the development of storms.

Ahead of the beginning of the current Caribbean cyclone season, climate agencies projected increased storm frequency, mentioning elevated ocean temperatures and potential enhanced seasonal rains around African coastal regions - where tropical systems frequently develop.