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Cyclone Melissa is forecast to become a infrequent highest-level cyclone as it turns in the direction of the Caribbean island, causing life-threatening rapid inundation and mudslides.

This weather system, which registered winds of up to 120 miles per hour as of 06:00 GMT, is now shifting toward the northwest in the Caribbean Sea and is expected to make landfall by midweek, based on data from meteorological authorities.

Warnings of power cuts and damage to infrastructure have been issued as the hurricane generates up to 76cm of rain and storm surges as high as 13ft above typical tides. "Find safe refuge immediately," inhabitants have been urged.

The cyclone is the 13th cyclone in the current Atlantic storm period, which normally finishes in the eleventh month.

Category Five Hurricane Danger

A Category 5 storm is the strongest type, with sustained winds of at least 157mph.

Although the hurricane is expected to diminish in strength to a category four cyclone before reaching the island, authorities said there was "almost no noticeable change in the total effects" upon making contact with land, and that the hurricane will be "just as powerful" when it impacts the nation.

Urgent Readiness Measures

With tropical storm-level winds and rain predicted to begin long before it crosses Jamaica's central region - including potentially the capital, Kingston - alerts emphasize that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".

"Several days of harmful winds and heavy rainfall are underway and will cause severe and deadly sudden floods and multiple rock slides," advised climate experts.

The nation's leader Andrew Holness said: "I know that there are numerous residents who are worried, who are very concerned, and appropriately: you should be concerned.

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

Residents are being told to protect their properties with sand barriers and plywood sheets, and to gather necessary supplies.

Wider Effects

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

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

Projected Trajectory

Melissa is forecast to pass over Cuba by midweek before passing across the Greater Antilles and emerging into the open ocean.

By the point it arrives at Cuba, it is forecast to have reduced to a Category 3 cyclone.

Weather Context

While it is difficult to associate specific storms to environmental shifts, scientists say it is causing meteorological events increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Warmer oceans create greater water vapor in the air, contributing to the creation of storms.

Ahead of the commencement of the current Atlantic hurricane season, meteorological authorities projected increased storm frequency, citing elevated ocean temperatures and likely more intense weather patterns around African coastal regions - where Atlantic storms frequently develop.