🔗 Share this article

Hurricane the storm is predicted to strengthen into a rare highest-level cyclone as it shifts in the direction of the Caribbean island, causing life-threatening rapid inundation and rock falls.

The hurricane, which had wind speeds of up to 120 mph as of 0600 Greenwich Mean Time, is now shifting northwest in the Caribbean region and is projected to reach land by early next week, according to hurricane specialists.

Warnings of power cuts and structural damage have been announced as this storm produces up to 30 inches of precipitation and coastal flooding as high as 13ft above typical tides. "Take cover without delay," residents have been urged.

The cyclone is the 13th cyclone in the ongoing Atlantic season, which usually concludes in late autumn.

Category Five Cyclone Threat

A highest-level hurricane is the most intense classification, with sustained winds of at least 252 km/h.

Although the hurricane is expected to reduce in intensity to a category four cyclone before making landfall on the island, meteorologists said there was "very little practical difference in the overall impacts" upon landfall, and that the hurricane will be "just as powerful" when it strikes the island.

Immediate Preparations

With tropical storm-strength gusts and precipitation already expected well before it passes over Jamaica's central region - including potentially the capital, Kingston - advisories indicate that "preparations should be rushed to completion".

"An extended timeframe of damaging winds and intense precipitation have begun and will cause devastating and dangerous flash flooding and many mudslides," urged climate experts.

Jamaican Prime Minister the official commented: "I understand that there are countless citizens who are anxious, who are very concerned, and with good reason: you should be concerned.

"But the optimal approach to handle anxiety and any unease and concern is to remain prepared."

Locals are being instructed to secure their homes with protective bags and plywood sheets, and to stock up on essentials.

Wider Effects

Advisories are also active for regions of Haiti such as the main city, Port au Prince, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba, where the hurricane is anticipated to bring comparable impacts by the middle of next week.

Mudslides currently triggered by the storm have already killed two in the country, according to emergency services.

Projected Course

The hurricane is projected to pass over the island nation by midweek before moving through the Greater Antilles and emerging into the open ocean.

By the moment it makes contact with the Caribbean nation, it is forecast to have diminished to a third-level storm.

Weather Background

Even though it is difficult to associate particular meteorological occurrences to climate change, scientists say it is causing weather phenomena increasingly frequent and more extreme.

Warmer oceans produce more moisture in the atmosphere, helping fuel the development of storms.

Ahead of the beginning of this year's Atlantic storm period, climate agencies predicted higher-than-average occurrence, citing heated marine conditions and possible enhanced seasonal rains around the western African continent - where hurricanes often form.