A U.S. Air Power 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 current days to assemble 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 Power’s 53rd Climate Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS), collectively identified by the nickname ‘Hurricane Hunters’.
These plane acquire info on storms by flying instantly into them, together with into the ‘eye’. Sensors fitted to the plane, in addition to dropsondes, present the crew on board with dwell info 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 by way of social media that one among 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 compelled to abort its mission below security guidelines which require an plane to be inspected for harm after exceeding acknowledged 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 Power Reserve Hurricane Hunters, is returning to it’s ahead working location in Curaçao after encountering heavy turbulence immediately whereas coming into the attention of Hurricane Melissa, a Class 5 storm. Through the occasion, the plane briefly skilled forces stronger than regular because of turbulence. Whereas this doesn’t routinely point out harm, customary security procedures require an inspection earlier than returning to operations.”
This footage from inside the attention of Class 5 Hurricane Melissa is perhaps probably 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 every day report for Oct. 27, the day prior to this, it too had mentioned the depth of Storm Melissa had compelled the early return of its plane: “Stories from NOAA and Air Power Reserve Hurricane Hunter plane point out the central strain has fallen to close 908 mb, with each plane releasing dropsondes within the northeastern eyewall that help 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 immediately.
Outstanding satellite tv for pc imagery. pic.twitter.com/TpBvmdZxlw
— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) October 28, 2025
Doable video of the best 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 circumstances in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Japanese Cuba, the Southeast Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Oct. 28’s every 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 heart. Catstrophic flash flooding, landslides, and damaging 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 way 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 gear 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 doable 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’ major Hurricane Hunter plane. Amongst its variations for the function are wing-mounted gasoline tanks for prolonged vary, a Stepped-Frequency Microwave Radiometer which displays rainfall charges and winds beneath 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 not less than 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 mean mission may 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 Power Base, Mississippi, although are ceaselessly deployed to ahead working areas 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 autos whereas in flight.
This perform is prone to additionally discover its manner onto the USAF fleet promptly, probably permitting flights into much more dangerous circumstances with out the prospect 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 circumstances the crews fly in, if the plane can’t fly out of the storm there may be primarily no probability 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. Quite a few incidents have occurred since this time, however have resulted within the eventual protected restoration of the plane.
