Author | Lightnews

Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 3d

The Air Force & NOAA hurricane hunters conducted 33 missions into, and around, #Melissa. Additional information appears in the alternate text for the images.

As what is left of post-tropical cyclone Melissa moves rapidly off into the northern Atlantic east of Canada, we look back at the missions into Melissa as a tropical cyclone. The Air Force and NOAA hurricane hunters conducted 33 missions into, and around, Melissa. They surveyed the storm from the time it was a tropical storm and throughout its rapid intensification into one of the most intense tropical cyclones ever recorded. Its turbulence was so intense at times that multiple aircraft had to return early for safety to be inspected after passing through its intense eyewall. Melissa made landfall at its peak intensity in New Hope, Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 mph and a pressure of 892 millibars. By both metrics Melissa tied, in both sustained wind speed and lowest mean sea level pressure, as the most intense tropical cyclone to ever make landfall on record in the Atlantic. (tying the landfalling wind speed of Hurricane Dorian in 2019 in the Bahamas and tying the landfalling pressure of the Labor Day hurricane in 1935 in the Florida Keys) The hurricane hunters continued their missions into the storm as long as it remained a threat to land as a tropical cyclone. The storm also had impacts in Hispaniola, Cuba, the Bahamas and Bermuda before becoming extratropical and passing east of Newfoundland in Canada. (impacted areas include areas where it did not make landfall)

(A description of what appears in the map appears in the alternate text for image two.)

Map showing the missions by the Air Force and NOAA hurricane hunters into, and around, Melissa. White circle icons represent either the mean sea level pressure in millibars recorded by a dropsonde released from the plane or the estimated MSLP if that data was not available. This data comes from a vortex data message. In cases where the wind was not calm enough at the center, the actual pressure may be estimated to be lower and that pressure is not reflected on the icon.

Wind barbs represent the wind speed and direction from the 30 second flight level wind that is usually reported every 30 seconds in a high density observation. (HDOB message)

A dropsonde icon, pictured as a slender tube, is what is used to measure pressure, temperature and dew point as it falls from the aircraft. A dropsonde is released from the aircraft by a tube.

The Air Force used multiple Lockheed WC-130J Hercules aircraft while NOAA used a Lockheed WP-3D Orion to survey the storm and penetrate its eye. NOAA also used a Gulfstream IV-SP to sample around the storm.

Screenshot from Google Earth.
Blue Marble image background from NASA GIBS.
World coastlines from Natural Earth.

(A description of the historic storm appears in the alternate text for image one.)

A closeup of hurricane hunter mission data from around Jamaica showing its rapid intensification as noted by the vortex icons described in the alternate text for image two.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 4d

Thanks. I'll add the disclaimer to all the decoded dropsonde data in my archive when I have a chance. People too often get confused by that and I wanted to make it more clear.

Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 4d

Thanks for checking into it. I'll work on adding a note about that to that sonde in my archive.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

Part 3 of 3: "Near the beginning and end of the descent, the effective averaging period shortens as the filter tapers to zero. Earlier dropsondes used a 10-second filter." Thanks.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

Part 2 of 3: "Before transmission, the data is processed through a low-pass filter whose half-power amplitude occurs at a 5-second wavelength. This means that wind fluctuations occurring faster than about every five seconds are increasingly damped, reducing short-term noise and turbulence."

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

But the conversation isn't important. I was wondering what the result sounded like to add. I have to ask scientists when I add something like it:

Part 1 of 3:

"A dropsonde's reported winds represent roughly a five-second smoothed average derived from measurements taken about every 0.25 seconds."

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

I was trying to put together a disclaimer for my website to add to dropsonde data. I'm not a meteorologist, instead I code things, so I inputted what you had said to ChatGPT to help me understand it some.

That long conversation is here & probably has errors:
tropicalatlantic.com/reconnaissan...

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

I was able to find raw sonde. Link is commented out on this page:
www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/Storm_pa...
So that the link doesn't appear. But file still is:
www.aoml.noaa.gov/ftp/hrd/data...

With launch time of 2005/08/28, 14:21:03.92

I included some screenshots of that section. (truncating part of it)

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Kim Wood @drkimwood.bsky.social · 6d

I deeply respect the work that's been invested into exploring our approaches to tracking high-end tropical cyclones, but I can't in good conscience remain silent regarding the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) and discussion around a so-called category 6. 🧵 [1/5]

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

From presentation about Katrina sonde (continued): "If valid, these would be the highest winds recorded to date in the eight years that GPS sondes have been sampling these BL maxima." Thanks.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

From presentation about Katrina sonde: "A dropsonde released into the inner edge of that northeast eyewall descended into a mesovortex that contained a boundary layer (BL) wind peak of 120 meters per second (m/s), or 234 knots, at the 866 mb level (approximately 600 meters above the Gulf surface)."

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

I couldn't really find much about that Katrina sonde. I found one mention of it here from a presentation in 2006:
ams.confex.com/ams/27Hurric...

"The Intensity of Wind Gust Underneath Areas of Deep Eyewall Convection in Hurricanes Katrina and Dennis at Landfall"

PDF:
ams.confex.com/ams/pdfpaper...

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

Thanks. Does that mean it currently takes 2.5 seconds of data above the pressure altitude and 2.5 seconds below it and averages it all together for the reported pressure altitude? And then for surface wind is it less than 5 seconds or the last five seconds before the sonde terminates?

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

Also, do you know what the wind reported in the dropsonde message is averaged over? (The ones released in WMO messages) Such as a half second perhaps? Or 0.25, or 1? I would like to put that information on my site. Maybe it has varied over the years and I can put a range if so.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 5d

Was 234 knot sonde at the 866mb level in Katrina unreliable?

tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon....

Nothing really matches close to it for that storm though, expect one with 182 knots on another mission at the 839mb level.

Melissa had another mission with one with 210 knots & other high readings.

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Reposted by Tropical Atlantic

Dr. Jeff Masters @drjeffmasters.bsky.social · 6d

Not since 1935 has anyone experienced a storm like Melissa. Melissa's record wouldn't have happened without climate change, which made the hurricane's winds about 10 mph stronger, according to a rapid attribution analysis by Climate Central. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/cata...

Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record » Yale Climate Connections

At landfall in western Jamaica, Melissa’s 185 mph winds and 892 mb pressure tied with the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys as the strongest on record for the Atlantic.

yaleclimateconnections.org

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World Central Kitchen @wck.org · 7d

WCK is in Jamaica ahead of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa’s landfall. The storm is expected to bring destructive winds, torrential rain & widespread flooding. We’re working with local partners to serve meals as quickly as possible.
Read more: wck.org/news/hurricane-melissa
#ChefsForJamaica

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Reposted by Tropical Atlantic

Kim Wood @drkimwood.bsky.social · 7d

One factor that supported Melissa reaching this record: an Argo float southeast of Jamaica shows a dramatic decrease in upper-level ocean temperature before (18 Oct) and after (28 Oct) the storm.

My heart goes out to the folks in Jamaica facing this powerful hurricane's numerous hazards today. 💔

Plot of vertical temperature profiles measured by one Argo float from October 18 (solid black line, dot on map) and October 28 (dashed black line, star on map) in the top 120 meters of the ocean near Hurricane Melissa's track segment from October 27. That track segment is represented by the short dashed purple line on the inset map, and it's short due to Melissa's slow forward speed on that date.

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Yale Climate Connections @climateconnections.bsky.social · 7d

A climate justice disaster is underway in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa moves over the island.

Powered by abnormally warm waters, Melissa is one of the strongest storms on record. A graphic by Climate Central shows that Hurricane Melissa strengthened over warm water temperatures made at least 800 times more likely by climate change.

Like many in frontline communities, Jamaicans produce a very small amount of the pollution that is changing our climate. The U.S. emitted 17.34 t CO2eq per capita in 2024. Jamaica emitted 3.22 t CO2eq per capita.

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cira-csu.bsky.social @cira-csu.bsky.social · 7d

Major Hurricane Melissa makes a historic landfall near New Hope, Jamaica.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 7d

1:00pm EDT on Oct 28, 2025: #Melissa has made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica with 185mph wind & pressure of 892mb. For wind, ties for strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane matching Labor Day hurricane in 1935 in Florida Keys & Dorian in 2019 in Bahamas. For pressure, ties for Labor Day hurricane

Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa at landfall in Jamaica from: https://rammb-slider.cira.colostate.edu/

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 7d

Katrina had one a bit higher, but I don't if it is valid (234 knots, 269 mph):
tropicalatlantic.com/recon/recon....

Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 7d

At 11:15 am EDT, Air Force hurricane hunters posted about returning to Curacao "after encountering heavy turbulence today while entering the eye of Hurricane Melissa". "During the event, the aircraft briefly experienced forces stronger than normal due to turbulence" www.facebook.com/hurricanehun...

"A 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron crew (call sign TEAL 75), known as the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, is returning to it's forward operating location in Curaçao after encountering heavy turbulence today while entering the eye of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm.
During the event, the aircraft briefly experienced forces stronger than normal due to turbulence. While this does not automatically indicate damage, standard safety procedures require an inspection before returning to operations.
The 53rd WRS is an Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss."

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 7d

A catastrophic, historical event is about to unfold in Jamaica.

Hurricane warnings are also in effect for parts of eastern Cuba and parts of the Bahamas which will also experience the impact of #Melissa.

Air Force mission through 9:37am EDT.
NOAA mission through 9:33am EDT.

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Tropical Atlantic @tropicalatlantic.com · 7d

If #Melissa makes landfall with a pressure of 892 millibars, it would tie as the lowest pressure on record for a landfalling Atlantic hurricane. The "1935 Labor Day" hurricane in 1935 made landfall in the Florida Keys with a pressure of 892mb.

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