Hurricane Melissa will strengthen to a Category 5 storm as it heads toward Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa is forecast to become a rare Category Five storm as it turns towards Jamaica, causing life-threatening flash floods and landslides.

The cyclone, which had winds of up to 120 mph (195 km/h) as of 0600 GMT, is currently heading northwest in the Caribbean and is expected to make landfall by Tuesday, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

It warned of power outages and infrastructure damage as Melissa brought up to 30 inches (76 cm) of rain and sea level jumps of up to 13 feet (4 m) above the ground. “Seek shelter now,” residents were told.

Melissa is the 13th hurricane in this year’s Atlantic season, which usually ends in November.

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

While Melissa is set to weaken to a Category Four before reaching Jamaica, the NHC said there is “very little practical difference in overall impacts” when it makes landfall and that the hurricane will be “at least of this intensity” when it hits the island.

With tropical storm force winds and rain already expected long before they pass over central Jamaica – including potentially the capital Kingston – he warned that “preparations must be completed quickly”.

“A multi-day period of damaging winds and heavy rainfall has begun that will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flash floods and numerous landslides,” the weather agency urged residents.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said: “I know there are many Jamaicans who are concerned, who are very concerned, and rightly so: you should be concerned.

“But the best way to deal with anxiety and any nervousness and anxiety is to be prepared.”

Residents are being told to secure their homes with sandbags and wooden boards and to stock up on essentials.

Warnings are also in effect for parts of Haiti, including the capital Port-au-Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where Melissa is expected to produce similar effects by the middle of next week.

Landslides already caused by the hurricane have already killed two in Haiti, the national civil protection agency said.

Melissa is expected to pass over Cuba by Wednesday before moving over the Antilles Majores and out into the Atlantic Ocean.

By the time it reaches Cuba, it is expected to have weakened to a Category 3 storm.

Although it is difficult to link individual weather events to climate change, scientists say it is making weather events more frequent and more severe.

Warmer oceans produce more moisture in the air, aiding in the formation of hurricanes.

Before the start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted above-normal activity, citing warmer seas and potential stronger monsoon activity around West Africa – where Atlantic storms often form.