U.S. Air Force Flies into Hurricane "Melissa" and Shows Images

The Hurricane Hunters of the U.S. Air Force elite unit 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS) flew into Hurricane “Melissa” on Monday with one of their aircraft, capturing and releasing footage of the storm. “Melissa” is a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, with wind speeds exceeding 252 km/h. At the same time, the onboard crew collected meteorological data for the National Hurricane Center for scientific use.

Flight into the Eye of the Hurricane

As the hurricane was heading towards Jamaica on Monday, a WRS crew flew into the center of the storm shortly after sunrise from the southeast. The aircraft penetrated the eyewall of the hurricane and traversed dense gray clouds with limited visibility before entering the calm center.

The crew was able to observe the rarely occurring stadium effect. In this weather phenomenon, the walls around the hurricane's eye curve outward with increasing height. Viewed from above, it looks like a sports stadium—hence the name stadium effect.

Video Footage from the Interior

The images were recorded by Lt. Col. Mark Withee, one of the navigators on board. A member of the crew, who posts on the social media platform X under the name “Tropical Cowboy of Danger” (@FlynonymousWX), released the video.

The crew returned to base in Curaçao after traversing Hurricane “Melissa” amidst severe turbulence. The aircraft underwent a routine check there due to safety regulations. Despite the high stresses during the hurricane passage, the aircraft showed no damage.

According to the crew, wind speeds of up to 295 km/h are occurring with Hurricane “Melissa.” This makes the storm likely the strongest of 2025 and possibly the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica in 170 years.

“Melissa” has left severe devastation there. The exact extent of the destruction and potential casualties is not yet known. Jamaica has been declared a disaster area. The hurricane has now reached Cuba. Some people have been evacuated there. “Melissa” is then expected to continue towards the Bahamas.

Tropical cyclones like “Melissa” develop over increasingly warmer oceans due to rising global warming. This weather phenomenon usually occurs over the Atlantic between June 1 and November 30 each year, the hurricane season there.

(olb)