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A jaw-dropping video of the US Air Force's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Hurricane Hunters, flying straight into the eye of Hurricane Melissa as the powerful Category 5 storm barrels toward Jamaica has left people on social media amazed.
The daring mission was conducted to collect crucial data for the National Hurricane Centre (NHC). The footage captures turbulent clouds swirling around the aircraft as it enters the powerful Hurricane Mellisa by offering a rare glimpse from inside the storm.
Various clips have been going viral on social media. One clip shows that the first flight entered the hurricane from the southeast just after sunrise, showing a bright arc on the far northwest eyewall.
During the second pass, the crew entered from the southwest side, where they briefly crossed paths with a NOAA reconnaissance plane in the eyewall as it was heading back to base.
Melissa is churning through the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm, with winds reaching up to 175 mph (282 kph) on Monday afternoon, causing at least four deaths, along with one person missing, in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Jamaican officials are urging people to evacuate and calling them to get to higher ground and shelters ahead of the storm's arrival, with the prime minister warning it could be hugely destructive.
The NHC has issued a serious warning about Hurricane Melissa, saying it could cause catastrophic damage in Jamaica. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said this was the most violent hurricane Jamaica has ever experienced.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Holness said, adding, “The question now is the speed of recovery - that's the challenge.”
The slow-moving hurricane is heading toward Jamaica and could become the strongest storm ever recorded for the island.
According to forecasts, the hurricane is expected to pass over Jamaica late Monday or early Tuesday, move across eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, and reach the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos by Wednesday.
The daring mission was conducted to collect crucial data for the National Hurricane Centre (NHC). The footage captures turbulent clouds swirling around the aircraft as it enters the powerful Hurricane Mellisa by offering a rare glimpse from inside the storm.
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US Air Force plane from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters, flies into the eye of Hurricane Melissa, as the category 5 Hurricane approaches Jamaica.
Jamaican officials have called on the public to get to higher ground and… pic.twitter.com/AXmIESSCJG
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 28, 2025
Various clips have been going viral on social media. One clip shows that the first flight entered the hurricane from the southeast just after sunrise, showing a bright arc on the far northwest eyewall.
A thread of videos from today’s flight into Hurricane Melissa
In this first one we are entering from the southeast just after sunrise and the bright arc on the far northwest eye wall is the light just beginning to make it over the top from behind us. pic.twitter.com/qGdpp7lbCN
— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025
During the second pass, the crew entered from the southwest side, where they briefly crossed paths with a NOAA reconnaissance plane in the eyewall as it was heading back to base.
Second pass through Hurricane Melissa entering from the southwest side. Passed NOAA in the eye wall as they headed outbound for home.
Obviously a very powerful storm but a relatively straightforward one on this flight. Much less nasty meso activity than 36 hours ago. pic.twitter.com/uNICbQ4j9r
— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025
Melissa is churning through the Caribbean as a Category 5 storm, with winds reaching up to 175 mph (282 kph) on Monday afternoon, causing at least four deaths, along with one person missing, in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Jamaican officials are urging people to evacuate and calling them to get to higher ground and shelters ahead of the storm's arrival, with the prime minister warning it could be hugely destructive.
The NHC has issued a serious warning about Hurricane Melissa, saying it could cause catastrophic damage in Jamaica. Prime Minister Andrew Holness said this was the most violent hurricane Jamaica has ever experienced.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Holness said, adding, “The question now is the speed of recovery - that's the challenge.”
The slow-moving hurricane is heading toward Jamaica and could become the strongest storm ever recorded for the island.
According to forecasts, the hurricane is expected to pass over Jamaica late Monday or early Tuesday, move across eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, and reach the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos by Wednesday.
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