Cyclone Melissa Gains Power While Moves In the Direction of Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa is predicted to escalate to a infrequent category five cyclone as it veers towards Jamaica, causing dangerous rapid inundation and rock falls.
This weather system, which registered winds of up to 195 km/h as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is currently turning northwest in the Caribbean and is projected to reach land by midweek, as reported by weather experts.
Advisories of blackouts and damage to infrastructure have been announced as the hurricane produces up to 30 inches of rain and coastal flooding as high as 4m above normal levels. "Seek shelter now," locals have been told.
This hurricane is the 13th cyclone in this year's Atlantic storm period, which typically ends in the eleventh month.
Highest-Level Storm Danger
A Category 5 cyclone is the strongest type, with wind speeds of at least 157mph.
Even though Melissa is expected to diminish in strength to a category four cyclone before making landfall on the island, experts said there was "minimal real distinction in the general consequences" upon making contact with land, and that the cyclone will be "equally strong" when it strikes the nation.
Immediate Readiness Measures
With storm-force winds and rain predicted to begin long before it passes over central Jamaica - including potentially the city of Kingston - advisories emphasize that "safety measures need to be finalized quickly".
"An extended timeframe of harmful winds and torrential rain has started and will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and multiple rock slides," counseled climate experts.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said: "I realize that there are countless citizens who are worried, who are extremely apprehensive, and rightfully so: worry is natural.
"Yet the optimal approach to address worry and any unease and worry is to remain prepared."
Inhabitants are being instructed to secure their homes with sand barriers and wooden boards, and to accumulate necessary supplies.
Wider Effects
Warnings are also in effect for parts of the neighboring country such as the main city, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where this storm is anticipated to bring similar effects by the middle of next week.
Mudslides currently triggered by the storm have caused two deaths in the country, according to local authorities.
Projected Path
The hurricane is projected to cross the island nation by Wednesday before moving through the Caribbean archipelago and emerging into the Atlantic Ocean.
By the point it makes contact with the Caribbean nation, it is forecast to have weakened to a third-level hurricane.
Environmental Background
Even though it is challenging to associate individual weather events to global warming, experts say it is resulting in climate patterns increasingly frequent and more severe.
Increased sea temperatures create more moisture in the atmosphere, helping fuel the formation of storms.
Ahead of the start of this season's Atlantic hurricane season, climate agencies projected higher-than-average occurrence, citing warmer seas and likely more intense weather patterns around the western African continent - where tropical systems typically originate.
