Record-Breaking Winds Confirmed for Hurricane Melissa

As Hurricane Melissa approached Jamaica on October 28, 2025, a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft equipped with an NSF NCAR AVAPS™ dropsonde system released a series of high-precision Vaisala dropsondes into the storm. Each sonde sent back real-time measurements of pressure, temperature, humidity, and rapidly strengthening winds. Just before one sonde reached the ocean surface, it captured an extraordinary 252-mph wind gust—a value so extreme the research team paused and decided to verify this record breaking number with NCAR's Earth Observing System to confirm it. The event highlights NOAA’s essential role in hurricane reconnaissance and demonstrates how NSF NCAR’s advanced dropsonde technology helps document record-setting moments like those seen in Hurricane Melissa.

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