Highlights:
- The USAF's 'Hurricane Hunters' flew into the eye of Hurricane Melissa to collect critical weather data.
- The storm is the most powerful ever recorded near Jamaica since 1851.
- Footage shows the rare 'stadium effect' inside the hurricane's eye.
- Over 50,000 homes have lost power, seven deaths have been reported across the Caribbean.
The crew entered the storm’s eye from the southeast just after sunrise, navigating through thick grey clouds before emerging into a vast, calm center surrounded by towering walls of clouds. The stunning video shared by the USAF showed a glowing arc of sunlight breaking over the hurricane’s rim, offering a glimpse into the immense scale and intensity of Melissa. “We are entering from the southeast just after sunrise, and the bright arc on the far northwest eye wall is the light just beginning to make it over the top from behind us,” the Hurricane Hunter team posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The footage revealed what experts call the “stadium effect,” a rare meteorological phenomenon where the hurricane’s eye walls curve outward with height, creating the illusion of standing inside a massive open-air arena. Another clip captured flashes of lightning illuminating the swirling clouds, while the ocean below churned violently with waves colliding from different directions. “The sea surface is always interesting to the eye with waves going in different directions,” the crew wrote.
According to the US National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa has become the most powerful storm ever recorded to make landfall in Jamaica since records began in 1851 — a 174-year milestone. The hurricane, moving slowly at 6 to 8 kilometers per hour, is expected to make landfall early Tuesday morning, unleashing devastating winds reaching up to 282 kmph. Meteorologists warn of life-threatening storm surges as high as 13 feet and rainfall totals surpassing 40 inches in certain areas.
Jamaica has already opened more than 800 emergency shelters and ordered widespread evacuations from coastal and flood-prone regions. Authorities are bracing for severe flooding, landslides, and power outages as the storm nears the island. As of Monday night, more than 50,000 homes were already without electricity. Across the Caribbean, at least seven fatalities have been reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic as Hurricane Melissa continues its destructive path.
With its combination of unprecedented strength, slow movement, and enormous size, Hurricane Melissa is being closely monitored by scientists and global agencies. Experts say the data gathered by the Hurricane Hunters could prove crucial in understanding the rapid intensification patterns of modern tropical cyclones — and in improving early warning systems for future disasters.
