Record-breaking 252 mph wind reading verified from historic Hurricane Melissa

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A record-breaking 252 mph wind studying measured by a dropsonde launched from an NOAA Hurricane Hunter airplane throughout a mission into Hurricane Melissa has been verified, making it the strongest wind hurricane ever recorded.

The mind-boggling gust broke the earlier document excessive wind studying set within the Western Pacific throughout Hurricane Megi in 2010, which was verified at 248 mph.

The colossal wind studying was verified by the US Nationwide Science Basis Nationwide Heart for Atmospheric Analysis (USNSF NCAR), the group liable for initially creating dropsondes many years in the past, that continues to supply the one operational dropsondes used worldwide.

Dropsondes are Pringle-can-sized climate devices launched from analysis planes into tropical storms that collect measurements of essential information together with stress, humidity, temperature and wind which can be ingested again to the analysis planes to later inform forecast fashions.

When a fleet of dropsondes have been launched from the Hurricane Hunter airplane right into a raging Hurricane Melissa on its method to Jamaica, researchers aboard the airplane seen a measurement that caught their consideration; an astonishing 252 mph wind studying, the strongest hurricane wind ever captured by a dropsonde, in line with the USNSF NCAR.

Hurricane Melissa approached Jamaica as a class 5 storm on Oct. 27, 2025. ZUMAPRESS.com

A US Air Drive Reserve crew flies by means of Hurricane Melissa to gather climate information on Oct. 27, 2025. Lt Col Mark Withee/U S Air Drive/UPI/Shutterstock

Upon receiving the doubtless record-breaking studying by way of satellite tv for pc, the Nationwide Hurricane Heart contacted researchers on the USNF NCAR to confirm the statistic.

After working the dropsonde studying by means of a collection of exams, no anomalies have been discovered, and the brand new document for the strongest hurricane-force wind had formally been verified.

Verifying wind readings by means of rigorous testing is a necessity in figuring out the validity of a gust, and previously would-be information have been thrown out for not assembly the required customary.

In line with the USNSF NCAR, a possible record-breaking gust from Hurricane Katrina was thrown out when substantial points have been discovered within the recording course of.

A person walks alongside the coast as timber are whipped by the wind in Kingston, Jamaica, on Oct. 28, 2025. AP

The attention of Hurricane Melissa over the Caribbean Sea on Oct. 27, 2025. by way of REUTERS

After deployment, dropsondes deploy a parachute and document measurements two to 4 instances per second as they drift by means of the hurricane, gathering the important statistics forecasters use to trace the motion of the storm and difficulty alerts in affected areas.

The 252 mph wind studying was measured proper earlier than the dropsonde plunged into the Atlantic Ocean, in an especially harmful surroundings just about not possible to measure utilizing every other means.

The verified wind studying is simply one other record-breaker related to Hurricane Melissa, a lethal class 5 monster hurricane that's tied for the strongest Atlantic Hurricane to make landfall on document.