Kurtis M.
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stormorknot.bsky.social
Kurtis M.
@stormorknot.bsky.social
910 followers 1.3K following 280 posts
Meteorologist | Catastrophe Modeler | Skywarn Spotter | Data wrangler | Inquisitive | Views are my own He/him 🏠Boston
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Hello world!
I’m a meteorologist who works in catastrophe modeling and lives in Boston. Hopefully I can find other people who want to chat about the weather or data science. R is my primary programming language.
Also to mention, risking their safely likely without pay. Not all heroes wear capes.
Reposted by Kurtis M.
With Melissa's short term motion important for where landfall & the worst of its destructive category 5 winds will occur, I added back plots comparing the latest visible satellite to recon center fixes & NHC and grand ensemble mean forecast tracks:

polarwx.com/tropical/?st...
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Hurricane Melissa a Category 5 closing on Jamaica. 🙏🏽🇯🇲
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From a crewmember on yesterday's Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.
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The waves pulsing outward from the center are mesmerizing.
The monster eye at the center of a still strengthening Hurricane Melissa.
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Melissa is making the slow turn northward today, and is about to track over the warmest waters yet
The WSW motion is important for two reasons.

1) That gives more time for #Melissa to remain over the very warm waters of the Central Caribbean. Yes the hurricane is moving very slowly, but it also has a deep reservoir of oceanic heat content to give it more time than a regular 1-3 kt moving storm.
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Earlier from the #Hurricane Center. The Hurricane Hunters had to abort their mission into #Melissa due to severe turbulence in the eyewall. #wx
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🌀 #HurricaneMelissa has intensified to Cat. 5 strength in the Caribbean.

WMO and its partners are working together to support countries in the path of the storm.

Keep up to date:

🔗 hurricanes.gov
🔗 https://metservice.gov.jm/

Credit: @noaa.gov
For understanding climate change impacts to tropical cyclones in near-real time, explore our new attribution pages unique to each storm from @climatecentral.org: www.climatecentral.org/tropical-cyc...

"Climate change made the ocean temperatures along Melissa's path 500 to 700 times more likely."
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Here are the only 2 previous Cat 5 hurricanes that passed within 70 miles of Jamaica in NOAA's database.

Neither made landfall, there.

Regardless of Cat 4 or 5, Melissa will, unfortunately, make history.
With #Melissa reaching category 5 it is the third category 5 hurricane in the 2025 season after Erin and Humberto. The only season to best that is the infamous 2005 season with four.
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Hurricane #Melissa Advisory 24: Melissa Now a Category 5 Hurricane. Destructive Winds and Storm Surge and Catastrophic Flooding Will Worsen On Jamaica Through the Day and Into Tonight. http://hurricanes.gov https://x.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1982732006178881562
It’s official, category 5!
Threshold for category 5 is 157mph and #NHC puts it at 160mph in the 5am update. May anyone in #Melissa path be safe.

#category5 #jamaicawx #jamaica #majorhurricane #wxSky #weatherSky #hurricane #hurricaneseason #catrisk #wxrisk #HurricaneMelissa
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Don't see a satellite intensity estimate of 170kt in the Atlantic everyday. Or well, ever.
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Stunning satellite imagery of Hurricane Melissa tonight.
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Hurricane #Melissa down to 919mb per latest Hurricane Hunters recon data. Keeping Jamaica and Cuba in my thoughts tonight, this is going to be a generational hurricane event.
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#Melissa: 2025's fourth Atlantic storm to meet the definition of rapid intensification (RI); strengthen by 30 knots (35 mph) in a 24-hr period.

Each 2025 Atlantic major hurricane has seen explosive >50 knot (60 mph) strengthening in 24 hrs.

Only 2025, 2020, 2008, and 2005 have achieved this feat.
#NHC is using dire language in their key messages for #Melissa

“Extensive infrastructural damage, long-duration power and
communication outages, and isolation of communities are expected.”

#wxsky #weathersky #weather #wxrisk #majorhurricane #jamaicawx #catastrophe #hurricaneseason
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The U.S. is “on a trajectory” toward authoritarian rule, according to a sobering new intelligence-style assessment by former US intelligence and national security officials, who warn democratic backsliding may soon become entrenched without organized resistance. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US ‘on a trajectory’ toward authoritarian rule, ex-officials warn
A network of former intelligence and security officers says democratic decline is accelerating under Trump’s rule
www.theguardian.com
SAR satellite images are showing the intensity of #Melissa. #Jamaica will have to brace for what looks like a catastrophic and generational storm. It is shaping up to bring catastrophic winds and flooding to the Island.

#hurricane #wxsky #weathersky #majorhurricane #hurricaneseason #climaterisk
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Melissa has rapidly intensified into a category 4 major hurricane according to preliminary NHC estimates:
- from 60 to 120 kt in 24 hours (⬆️ 60 kt)
- from 90 to 110 kt in just 6 hours (⬆️ 20 kt)

This slow-moving storm will not only deliver damaging winds & storm surge but also catastrophic rainfall.