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Tropical Storm Melissa is projected to strengthen into a rare Category 5 cyclone as it turns towards Jamaica, causing life-threatening sudden floods and rock falls.

The hurricane, which had wind speeds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting toward the northwest in the Caribbean and is expected to hit the coast by Tuesday, according to hurricane specialists.

Advisories of electricity outages and disruption to utilities have been announced as Melissa produces up to 30 inches of precipitation and coastal flooding as high as 4m above ground. "Take cover without delay," inhabitants have been told.

Melissa is the 13th cyclone in this year's Atlantic season, which usually concludes in late autumn.

Highest-Level Storm Threat

A Category 5 storm is the most intense classification, with winds of at least 252 km/h.

Even though this storm is expected to weaken to a Category 4 storm before arriving at the island, meteorologists said there was "very little practical difference in the total effects" upon making contact with land, and that the cyclone will be "at least that intensity" when it strikes the island.

Immediate Readiness Measures

With storm-force gusts and precipitation predicted to begin ahead of it moves across Jamaica's central region - possibly even the city of Kingston - alerts state that "preparations should be rushed to completion".

"An extended timeframe of destructive gusts and heavy rainfall are underway and will cause devastating and dangerous sudden floods and many landslides," counseled climate experts.

The nation's leader Andrew Holness said: "I understand that there are countless citizens who are anxious, who are extremely apprehensive, and with good reason: concern is justified.

"Yet the most effective method to handle worry and any apprehension and anxiety is to be prepared."

Residents are being told to fortify their houses with sandbags and wooden boards, and to stock up on basic necessities.

Wider Consequences

Advisories are also ongoing for areas in Haiti including the primary urban center, the adjacent nation and the eastern part of Cuba, where this storm is expected to bring similar effects by the middle of next week.

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

Expected Path

This weather system is forecast to move across Cuba by the middle of the week before moving through the Caribbean archipelago and out into the open ocean.

By the point it makes contact with Cuba, it is predicted to have reduced to a category three hurricane.

Weather Context

Even though it is difficult to link particular meteorological occurrences to climate change, scientists say it is resulting in climate patterns increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Higher ocean heat produce greater water vapor in the atmosphere, contributing to the creation of tropical cyclones.

Ahead of the commencement of the current Caribbean cyclone season, meteorological authorities projected higher-than-average occurrence, referencing elevated ocean temperatures and potential more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where hurricanes frequently develop.