View from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
NOAA
By several metrics, meteorologists knew that Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes that we have ever witnessed in the Atlantic basin. However, a new assessment of data by scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research revealed that a wind gust of 252 miles per hour was captured by a dropsonde within the storm. That would make it the strongest hurricane or tropical cyclone wind value ever recorded by a dropsonde. Let’s explore this stunning development.
What Is A Dropsonde?
An NSF NCAR press release noted, “Dropsondes are small cylindrical devices that are used by organizations like NOAA to collect valuable information during extreme weather events like hurricanes or atmospheric rivers. As they fall to the surface under a small parachute, dropsonde sensors gather information that helps shape forecasts and inform communities of approaching hazards.” They were developed at NSF NCAR in Boulder, Colorado over 50 years ago and continue to evolve.
Quinn Kalen, Flight Director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Gulfstream IV aircraft, explains the functions of WP-3D dropsonde during a hurricane awareness tour at Washington National Airport, Arlington, Va., Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Dropsondes, small, tube-shaped sensors continuously transmit weather information like wind speed and pressure to help meteorologists determine a storm’s strength and direction. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)
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Was It The Strongest Hurricane Wind Ever Recorded?
As it became apparent to National Hurricane Center meteorologists that a 252 miles per hour wind gust had been measured in one of the Hurricane Melissa deployments, they knew that this was a potential record, but it needed verification. That’s why they sent the data to NSF NCAR. Even before this process took place, hurricane expert and hurricane hunter Andy Hazleton had signaled this possibility as the storm was impacting the Caribbean region. On October 28, he posted on Facebook, “I couldn’t believe the 113 m/s (250 mph) wind value that I saw on my screen processing this sonde in Melissa today. It literally went off the scale.” Hazleton said in another post later, “I usually set my axis limit to 100 m/s (about 224 mph) and only in the most extreme cases (like Beryl) has it ever even gotten close to that. In this case 100 m/s wasn’t nearly enough.”
IN SPACE, CARIBBEAN SEA – OCTOBER 27: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Melissa churned northwest through the Caribbean Sea captured at 17:18Z on October 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa had intensified into a Category 5 storm as it approached Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
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Hazleton is an experienced hurricane hunter and an expert at the University of Miami. He was stunned by what he was seeing. He went on to say, “I knew it was likely to have some extreme low-level winds as it rotated into the eastern eyewall, but I didn’t imagine over 250 mph just 250 meters above the surface.” These numbers are why so many of us were very concerned about the fate of Jamaica. We literally witnessed something that nobody has experienced in a hurricane.
Holger Vömel is an NSF NCAR senior scientist with the Dropsonde Program. He reflected, “NOAA looped us in when they saw the high wind speed and asked, ‘Are these numbers any good?’” He further added, “They have pilots and researchers literally putting their lives on the line to get these measurements. They’re the heroes, and it’s a privilege we get to play a role in making sure the measurements they acquire are accurate.” To verify the reading in Hurricane Melissa, Vömel and his colleagues at NSF NCAR used a software program called Aspen. The program performed a quality control analysis to make sure the data were consistent with the laws of physics and tropical meteorology understanding. They also made sure there were no gaps in the dataset that could cause erroneous interpretations.
Low-angle view of the IM Pei designed National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) Mesa Laboratory, on a sunny day, with fir trees and mountains in the background, Boulder, Colorado, 1975. From the Wendy Morgan Collection. (Photo by Gado/Getty Images)
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How Does This Measurement Compare To Others?
NSF NCAR confirmed that the measurement was credible. How does a 252 miles per hour wind gust compare to other extreme storms? According to NSF NCAR, “Hurricane Melissa’s 252 mph wind gust surpassed the previous record from Typhoon Megi over the Western Pacific in 2010, where a dropsonde measured wind gusts of 248 mph.” Western Pacific supertyphoons tend to be the strongest tropical cyclones on Earth. Hurricane Melissa, as I wrote in previous discussions, had the look and intensity of the strongest storms observed in the Pacific Basin. It made a direct hit on Jamaica.
The Value Of Data And Federal Personnel
Throughout Hurricane Melissa NOAA and other federal personnel continued to work even as the government remained shutdown. Their diligence, patriotism and pursuit of data are greatly appreciated. Speaking of data, it is critical to have information about moisture, temperature, wind, and pressure inside a hurricane. Dropsondes are vital workhorses and collect data 2-4 times per second as they fall to the surface of the ocean. NSF NCAR reminded us, “In the case of Melissa, the powerful winds and storm surge went on to inflict catastrophic damage on Jamaica, Haiti, and other Caribbean nations, killing close to 100 people. The toll would almost certainly have been even more grim if the storm had not been well forecasted.” Data collected by hurricane hunters using dropsondes made those forecasts better.
TOPSHOT – Electrical poles are down as a man bikes through the destroyed neighborood of North Street following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. Hurricane Melissa bore down on the Bahamas October 29 after cutting a path of destruction through the Caribbean, leaving 30 people dead or missing in Haiti and parts of Jamaica and Cuba in ruins. Somewhat weakened but still threatening, Melissa will bring damaging winds and flooding rains to the Bahamas Wednesday before moving on to Bermuda late Thursday, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). (Photo by Ricardo MAKYN / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2025/11/21/hurricane-melissa-winds-reached-252-mpha-stunning-record/
