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Hurricane Melissa is predicted to become a uncommon category five hurricane as it shifts toward the Caribbean island, bringing deadly sudden floods and landslides.

The hurricane, which recorded wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 06:00 GMT, is now shifting northwest in the Caribbean region and is expected to make landfall by midweek, according to weather experts.

Warnings of blackouts and disruption to utilities have been issued as this storm produces up to 30 inches of rainfall and sea level surges as high as 4m above normal levels. "Find safe refuge immediately," residents have been told.

Melissa is the 13th hurricane in this year's Atlantic season, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Highest-Level Hurricane Danger

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

Even though Melissa is projected to diminish in strength to a category four storm before reaching Jamaica, meteorologists said there was "very little practical difference in the general consequences" upon landfall, and that the storm will be "equally strong" when it impacts the country.

Critical Safety Steps

With storm-force wind and rainfall predicted to begin long before it moves across Jamaica's central region - perhaps encompassing the national capital - warnings indicate that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"A multi-day period of destructive gusts and heavy rainfall has started and will cause devastating and dangerous rapid water accumulation and multiple landslides," counseled climate experts.

The nation's leader the official commented: "I understand that there are countless citizens who are anxious, who are extremely apprehensive, and rightfully so: worry is natural.

"However the most effective method to manage anxiety and any unease and concern is to be prepared."

Residents are being advised to secure their homes with protective bags and timber panels, and to stock up on essentials.

Wider Effects

Alerts are also ongoing for areas in Haiti such as the capital, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where Melissa is anticipated to bring analogous consequences by the midweek period.

Mudslides currently triggered by the storm have already killed two in Haiti, according to local authorities.

Projected Trajectory

The hurricane is projected to move across the island nation by Wednesday before moving through the Greater Antilles and emerging into the open ocean.

By the point it makes contact with the Caribbean nation, it is anticipated to have diminished to a third-level hurricane.

Weather Connection

Although it is challenging to associate specific storms to climate change, experts say it is causing weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more intense.

Warmer oceans create greater water vapor in the environment, contributing to the formation of storms.

Ahead of the beginning of this year's Atlantic storm period, weather organizations forecast higher-than-average occurrence, citing warmer seas and potential more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where hurricanes typically originate.