(Image credit: Handout via Getty Images)
The U.S. Air Force has documented astonishing visuals from within the heart of Hurricane Melissa, which is anticipated to wreak widespread havoc upon its arrival in Jamaica.
The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, commonly referred to as the “Hurricane Hunters,” flew into the storm on Monday morning (Oct. 27) to gather information for the National Hurricane Center, according to a News18 report.
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Caribbean weather reports have been particularly threatening for several days. Forecasters at AccuWeather have cautioned that the hurricane might spark a humanitarian emergency, whereas the U.S. National Hurricane Center has mentioned that the perilous storm is likely to bring “catastrophic sudden floods, mudslides, and devastating gales.”
Anne-Claire Fontan, the tropical cyclone specialist from the World Meteorological Organization, informed a press meeting that Hurricane Melissa will be “the paramount storm of the century” for Jamaica, as reported by Reuters. Jamaica has not experienced a hurricane since Hurricane Sandy, a Category 1 storm, made landfall in 2012, and the island has never suffered a direct hit from a Category 5 storm previously. The storm has already caused three deaths on the island.
Unusually warm Caribbean waters have amplified Melissa’s intensity as it has steadily moved toward Jamaica. The country’s officials have implored citizens to seek immediate shelter and warned that many locales will not endure the storm, according to the Guardian.
Fifth and final pass through Hurricane Melissa for our crew today. Just after noon entering from the NW corner exiting SE. pic.twitter.com/BVtyIlZpsxOctober 27, 2025
The danger to human life could mirror that of Hurricane Dorian in 2019, which struck the Bahamas, and Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which impacted the southeastern U.S. and the Bahamas, AccuWeather stated. The official fatality count for Hurricane Dorian was 74 individuals, with an additional 282 still unaccounted for, while Hurricane Andrew directly led to 65 fatalities and was the most ruinous hurricane in Florida’s history.
Hurricane Melissa also poses a threat to nations such as Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, with at least four fatalities tied to the storm already registered across Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
A thread of videos from today’s flight into Hurricane MelissaIn 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/qGdpp7lbCNOctober 27, 2025
Meteorologists rank hurricanes on a scale of 1 to 5 depending on their highest maintained wind velocities; any storm surpassing Category 2 is regarded as a significant hurricane. Hurricanes achieve Category 5 status when they possess sustained winds reaching at least 157 mph (252 km/h).
On Monday, Hurricane Melissa surpassed this benchmark when its wind speeds intensified to 175 mph (282 km/h), marking it as the strongest hurricane of 2025 and potentially the most powerful hurricane ever documented so late in the Atlantic hurricane season (which spans from the start of June to the close of November), AccuWeather reported.
An increasing number of hurricanes are rapidly growing stronger in the Atlantic as escalating atmospheric and sea temperatures, spurred by climate change, take effect. Since March 2023, average sea surface temperatures across the globe have broken records, with warmer waters contributing additional energy to hurricanes as they expand.
Patrick PesterSocial Links NavigationTrending News Writer
Patrick Pester is the trending news scribe at Live Science. His contributions have been featured on other science-focused sites, including BBC Science Focus and Scientific American. Patrick transitioned into journalism after dedicating his early years to employment in zoological parks and wildlife preservation. He received the Master’s Excellence Scholarship to pursue studies at Cardiff University, where he concluded a master’s program in international journalism. He also possesses a second master’s qualification in biodiversity, evolution, and conservation in action from Middlesex University London. Outside of writing news, Patrick investigates the trading of human remains.
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