A U.S. Air Pressure WC-130J Weatherbird from the 53rd WRS, in addition to NOAA plane, have needed to abandon deliberate missions early as a result of energy of Hurricane Melissa.
Climate reconnaissance plane have been working at a very excessive tempo in latest days to collect information on Hurricane Melissa because it threatens to devastate communities throughout the Caribbean. These embrace civilian-operated WP-3D Orions from the U.S. Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in addition to WC-130J Weatherbirds from the U.S. Air Pressure’s 53rd Climate Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS), collectively recognized by the nickname ‘Hurricane Hunters’.
These plane accumulate data on storms by flying immediately into them, together with into the ‘eye’. Sensors fitted to the plane, in addition to dropsondes, present the crew on board with dwell data on a variety of parameters. This information can then be recorded and relayed to the Nationwide Hurricane Heart (NHC) who will use it to tell predictions of the storm’s path and depth, in flip informing the NHC’s recommendation on sheltering or evacuating.
On Oct. 28, 2025, simply hours earlier than Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica, the 53rd WRS reported through social media that considered one of their plane had encountered past regular turbulence whereas working close to the attention of the storm. The plane, flying below the mission callsign TEAL 75, was pressured to abort its mission below security guidelines which require an plane to be inspected for harm after exceeding said stress limits.
pic.twitter.com/yOLplbzKHb
— Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) October 28, 2025
The squadron’s assertion reads: “A 53rd Climate Reconnaissance Squadron crew (name signal TEAL 75), often called the Air Pressure Reserve Hurricane Hunters, is returning to it’s ahead working location in Curaçao after encountering heavy turbulence at this time whereas getting into the attention of Hurricane Melissa, a Class 5 storm. Throughout the occasion, the plane briefly skilled forces stronger than regular resulting from turbulence. Whereas this doesn’t mechanically point out harm, commonplace security procedures require an inspection earlier than returning to operations.”
This footage from inside the attention of Class 5 Hurricane Melissa is likely to be essentially the most jaw-dropping video ever captured of a hurricane’s eye, showcasing the notorious “stadium impact.” pic.twitter.com/AEhj2g2Ban
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) October 27, 2025
In NOAA’s day by day report for Oct. 27, the day gone by, it too had mentioned the depth of Storm Melissa had pressured the early return of its plane: “Reviews from NOAA and Air Pressure Reserve Hurricane Hunter plane point out the central stress has fallen to close 908 mb, with each plane releasing dropsondes within the northeastern eyewall that assist an preliminary depth of 145 kt. The NOAA plane left the storm early after experiencing extreme turbulence within the southwestern eyewall.”
A show of pure energy from Hurricane Melissa at this time.
Exceptional satellite tv for pc imagery. pic.twitter.com/TpBvmdZxlw
— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) October 28, 2025
Doable video of the suitable eye wall of Hurricane #Melissa in Black River, Jamaica pic.twitter.com/SfEYQf7dSz
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) October 28, 2025
NOAA warns of life-threatening situations in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jap Cuba, the Southeast Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Oct. 28’s day by day report issued the next for Jamaica: “THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION! TAKE COVER NOW! Catastrophic winds with complete structural failure are liklely close to the trail of Melissa’s middle. Catstrophic flash flooding, landslides, and harmful winds are anticipated throughout the rest of the island inflicting widespread infrastructure harm, energy and communication outages, and remoted communities. Alongside the southern coast, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are anticipated by means of the day.”
“LAST CHANCE TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE.”
I’ve by no means seen the Nationwide Hurricane Heart say this.
Melissa is now the fifth most-intense Atlantic hurricane ever recorded, making landfall on the similar energy that Dorian did within the Bahamas. 2.8 million lives will change in moments. pic.twitter.com/zFbwGYW16k
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) October 28, 2025
After Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa is anticipated to hit Cuba, together with the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay. Evacuations have been undertaken of non-essential personnel and tools forward of the storm’s arrival. Authorities sources in Jamaica and Cuba have mentioned each nations, that are anticipated to be the toughest hit by the hurricane, have taken as many precautions as potential to mitigate anticipated harm. Nonetheless, the storm is anticipated to trigger vital lack of life within the area, and utterly devastate many areas which already face struggles to entry primary utilities.
Weatherbirds
The WC-130J Weatherbird, based mostly on the ever present C-130J Hercules, is the 53rd WRS’ main Hurricane Hunter plane. Amongst its variations for the function are wing-mounted gas tanks for prolonged vary, a Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer which displays rainfall charges and winds under the plane, the dropsonde deployment system, and palletised monitoring stations that enable for the plane to be quickly reconfigured again into an airlift function. Ten WC-130Js are in USAF service, all with the 53rd WRS.
Ten full-time crews of at the very least 5 personnel every are maintained together with ten part-time crews, who work collectively to satisfy mission readiness necessities directed by the Nationwide Hurricane Operations Plan. A median mission might take so long as eleven hours, with plane endurance permitting for as much as 18 hours within the air when working at optimum effectivity. All WC-130Js are based mostly at Keesler Air Pressure Base, Mississippi, although are incessantly deployed to ahead working places when required.
NOAA’s smaller fleet of WP-3D Orions perform largely the identical missions, however crew members on board have the extra objective of gathering information for scientific analysis in addition to for storm preparedness. The 2 WP-3Ds in service are due to get replaced by two WC-130Js from 2030. The brand new Weatherbirds will inherit most of the modifications made to current USAF examples, however will moreover be fitted with the potential to deploy unmanned aerial automobiles whereas in flight.
This perform is more likely to additionally discover its means onto the USAF fleet promptly, probably permitting flights into much more dangerous situations with out the possibility of dropping crew members. Through the years since hurricane hunter flights had been first flown plenty of plane have been misplaced whereas finishing up the mission. Given the severity of the situations the crews fly in, if the plane can’t fly out of the storm there’s primarily no likelihood of a profitable rescue.
Remarkably, regardless of the danger, the final fatalities throughout a Hurricane Hunter mission occurred in 1974 – additionally the one time {that a} WC-130 of any variant has been misplaced. A variety of incidents have occurred since this time, however have resulted within the eventual secure restoration of the plane.
