Hurricane Melissa Sets New Record for Strongest Hurricane Winds
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has made history by registering the strongest hurricane winds ever recorded, with a mind-boggling 252 mph wind reading. This unprecedented gust was measured by a dropsonde launched from an NOAA Hurricane Hunter airplane during a mission into the hurricane. The previous record of 248 mph was set by Typhoon Megi in 2010.
Video shows the powerful winds from Category 5 Hurricane Melissa blasting Treasure Beach, Jamaica about one hour before landfall on Oct. 28, 2025.
Verifying the Record-Breaking Wind Reading
The U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (USNSF NCAR) verified the record-breaking wind reading, which was measured by a dropsonde launched from the Hurricane Hunter plane into the raging hurricane. The dropsonde, a Pringle-can-sized weather instrument, gathered measurements of crucial data, including pressure, humidity, temperature, and wind, which were ingested back to the research plane to later inform forecast models.
During their coverage in the storm’s eyewall at landfall, Hurricane Hunters experienced extreme turbulence and were forced to depart from the hurricane prematurely.
How Dropsondes Work
Dropsondes are tube-shaped sensor devices dropped into hurricanes to collect and transmit data for forecasters. After deployment, they deploy a parachute and record measurements two to four times per second as they drift through the hurricane, gathering essential statistics that forecasters use to track the movement of the storm and issue alerts in affected locations.
Dropsondes are tube-shaped sensor devices dropped into hurricanes to collect and transmit data for forecasters.
A Record-Breaking Hurricane
The verified wind reading is just another record-breaker associated with Hurricane Melissa, a deadly category 5 monster hurricane that is tied for the strongest Atlantic Hurricane to make landfall on record. The hurricane’s extreme winds and destructive power have left a trail of devastation in its wake.
FILE: A member of NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters shows a dropsonde that is used aboard a WP-3D Orion aircraft. This photo was taken in Houston, Texas, on May 1, 2023.
(Aaron Barker / FOX Weather)
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