Posted on 10/27/2025 6:23:42 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Currently south of Jamaica, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has been continuing intensification Monday, and the storm is so violent, it forced the NOAA Hurricane Hunters to end a reconnaissance flight early because of severe turbulence.
“Reports from NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate the central pressure has fallen to near 908 mb, with both aircraft releasing dropsondes in the northeastern eyewall that support an initial intensity of 145 kt,” wrote the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in their latest forecast discussion for Melissa.
“The NOAA aircraft left the storm early after experiencing severe turbulence in the southwestern eyewall.”
According to the 2:00 p.m. advisory from the NHC, Hurricane Melissa has 175 mph maximum sustained winds with gusts reaching higher speeds. Strength fluctuations are expected as the storm is set to blast Jamaica with life-threatening storm surge, deadly flash flooding, catastrophic landslides and powerful winds.
You know you have a rapidly deteriorating situation when even the Hurricane Hunters (who have planes designed to fly into the worst of storms) have to leave the storm due to turbulence. Wow #Melissa #Hurricane pic.twitter.com/0yaBR4Dkox — WeatherWorks (@WeatherWorks) October 27, 2025
The cancelled flight from the Hurricane Hunters comes after Melissa experienced “extreme rapid intensification” throughout the weekend as millions of people in the Caribbean urgently get prepared for impacts.
Hurricane Melissa is now recording 188 MPH winds at the surface. 908 mb pressure to bring her to 9th strongest Atlantic hurricane ever.
Eye temp down to -5.21 °C, an Atlantic record and close to world record. Radar is showing Melissa starting to make its move north to Jamaica. pic.twitter.com/UNZ7zAH3uG
— Andrew Powell (@AndrewPow3ll) October 27, 2025
Looks like they’re out there flying now.
The UK should be footing the bill for that.
No. They were flying into the eye. It has probably become too dangerous
I hope people understand the highest winds are in a very small part of the storm and the vast majority of the storm is wind speeds much less…still potentially damaging, yes, but the entire storm is not 188 mph gusts. So when they show a satellite view, it’s not the entire thing that has that strength. I had to explain that to someone last hurricane season.
Most don’t know that. They buy into The Weather Channel frenzy.
I see what you did there...
Yes. I’m tracking it on Windfinder right now and I can’t find wind speeds more than 80 mph. But it’s not scientific, so there’s that. And if the NOAA plane didn’t complete their mission, I’m sure it was bumpy.
Not much friction out over the ocean.
The UK doesn’t have the money…they used it up to pay for the “migrants”.
Looks like they may be headed back “home” now.
True.
RE: They buy into The Weather Channel frenzy.
I heard they can sent Stephanie Abrams out there. “One thing we know, she won’t drown.” (I read that line in a Tom Clancy style technothriller, maybe by Stephen Coonts?)
Are those silicon buoys?
Ha. I think she’s had reduction surgery.
Mike Hammer line “I think it’s been a few years since she’s seen her toes.”
Yikes! That's a killer hurricane.. Glad this one didn't hit Florida.
Of course I hope it takes off for the north soon. It'd be nice to miss most of Jamaica. And Florida, if it goes farther west. But in the meantime it's sure acting squirrely.
It’s doing what they were afraid it would do, stall and just batter Jamaica for days instead of hours............
That's so not good.
Yes, if for some reason it does happen to beat the models and track far enough westward, it may indeed just take another track altogether and hit the US.
But I doubt it will be a Cat 5 by then. Hurricanes ALWAYS weaken as they near land and their source of energy gets cut off, and the slower the storm moves, the more it will weaken.
Hurricane Elena in 1985, IIRC, spent a few days in the Gulf traveling in circles before taking off somewhere.
The NWS was issuing landfall warnings for all different areas of the Gulf coast and finally left it up for the entire Gulf Coast cause they said that they had no idea where it was going to make landfall once it decided where to go.
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