American weather reconnaissance plane flew into the eye of a hurricane (3 photos + 1 video)
A hurricane chaser team captured video of the "eye" of Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. 
Melissa, which had reached Category 5 status, made landfall in Jamaica as the most powerful storm in the country's recorded history. At 1:00 PM ET, the storm struck the island with winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and heavy rainfall as the eye of the hurricane passed over the southwest coast, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
On Monday, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (the U.S. Air Force's hurricane hunter team) flew into this historic storm to collect data. The pilots captured stunning photos and video of Melissa's eyewall—the towering ring of thunderclouds that orbits the hurricane's center. However, severe turbulence forced them to turn back.
According to a statement from the NHC released Monday morning, the hurricane hunters "left the storm early after experiencing extreme turbulence in the southwest portion of the eyewall." A second attempt to fly into the storm on Tuesday morning was also aborted. As of 11:00 a.m. ET, the squadron was returning to its base in Curaçao.
However, the team managed to collect critical data on Melissa's strength and formation. The NHC issued a forecast at 11:00 a.m., with airborne reports indicating the storm has intensified since the last update. Pressure within the 24-kilometer-wide eye has dropped to nearly 892 millibars (normal is 1013.25), and maximum sustained winds have reached 215 km/h (135 mph). NHC forecasters expect Melissa's winds to cause "complete structural failure" near its center.
Catastrophic flash flooding, landslides, and damaging winds are expected across the island, causing widespread infrastructure damage, power and communications outages, and isolating communities. Life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected along the southern coast throughout the day.
Melissa became the fourth storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season to undergo rapid intensification—when maximum sustained winds increase by 35 mph (56 km/h) in 24 hours. Climate change increases the likelihood of this dangerous phenomenon as ocean surface temperatures warm, providing more heat for hurricane formation and strengthening. Melissa encountered exceptionally warm waters and low wind shear in the central Caribbean on Saturday, causing it to rapidly strengthen from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane by early Sunday.
The storm reached Category 5 status early Monday morning and has continued to strengthen since then. It is now the fifth-strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic Ocean. After passing over Jamaica, forecasters expect the hurricane to make landfall in Cuba and the Lucayan archipelago—an island chain comprising the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos—today.
Melissa is expected to weaken over Jamaica as its inner core is disrupted by mountainous terrain. However, the cyclone should maintain major hurricane status until the center reaches eastern Cuba.
Due to expected power outages and infrastructure damage, it will likely be some time before officials can report the full extent of the damage and possible loss of life following the hurricane's landfall in Jamaica. The NHC urges residents to take shelter immediately.
After exiting the Caribbean, the hurricane is expected to track along the east coast of the United States, remaining well out to sea. Forecasters do not expect the hurricane to make landfall in the United States.
