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Hurricane Melissa is forecast to become a infrequent category five cyclone as it shifts towards the Caribbean island, bringing deadly flash flooding and rock falls.

This weather system, which recorded winds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 06:00 GMT, is now shifting northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is anticipated to hit the coast by Tuesday, as reported by meteorological authorities.

Advisories of blackouts and structural damage have been announced 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," inhabitants have been advised.

Melissa is the 13th named cyclone in the ongoing Atlantic season, which usually concludes in the eleventh month.

Most Intense Cyclone Danger

A category five hurricane is the strongest type, with sustained winds of at least 252 km/h.

While the hurricane is set to reduce in intensity to a category four cyclone before arriving at Jamaica, authorities said there was "very little practical difference in the overall impacts" upon landfall, and that the storm will be "equally strong" when it hits the island.

Urgent Safety Steps

With tropical storm-level winds and rain already expected well before it moves across central Jamaica - including potentially the capital, Kingston - alerts emphasize that "preparations should be rushed to completion".

"Several days of destructive gusts and torrential rain have begun and will cause severe and deadly flash flooding and many rock slides," counseled meteorological officials.

The nation's leader the official said: "I realize that there are many Jamaicans who are concerned, who are extremely apprehensive, and with good reason: worry is natural.

"Yet the optimal approach to manage nervousness and any nervousness and anxiety is to remain prepared."

Residents are being told to secure their homes with sandbags and plywood sheets, and to accumulate basic necessities.

Wider Effects

Alerts are also active for parts of Haiti including the primary urban center, the neighboring country and Cuba's eastern region, where Melissa is expected to bring comparable impacts by the midweek period.

Mudslides already being caused by the cyclone have caused two deaths in the country, according to emergency services.

Expected Path

Melissa is predicted to cross Cuba by the middle of the week before passing across the Greater Antilles and emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the moment it makes contact with Cuba, it is forecast to have reduced to a third-level hurricane.

Environmental Background

Although it is difficult to link particular meteorological occurrences to environmental shifts, experts say it is causing climate patterns more prevalent and more severe.

Increased sea temperatures create additional humidity in the atmosphere, aiding in the formation of hurricanes.

Before the commencement of the current Atlantic hurricane season, climate agencies forecast higher-than-average occurrence, mentioning elevated ocean temperatures and potential enhanced seasonal rains around African coastal regions - where tropical systems frequently develop.