WC-130J Weatherbird faced the deadly forces of Hurricane Melissa to track its path and strength. Learn how the crew collected critical data and experienced the storm first-hand!
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When the Caribbean world was hiding indoors, battening down windows, or nervously watching weather alerts, a team of US Air Force and NOAA crews was doing the opposite. They were flying straight into the heart of Hurricane Melissa on a WC-130J Weatherbird aircraft. This is one of the most powerful storms of the season. And the aircraft ventured out to gather life-saving data for millions of people in its path.
On October 28, 2025 just hours before Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica, a WC-130J Weatherbird aircraft from the US Air Force’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (famously nicknamed the Hurricane Hunters) took off from Curacao with a mission no one else would dare.
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Their goal? Fly directly into the eye of a Category 5 hurricane and collect data that could guide emergency warnings, evacuation plans, and potentially save countless lives.
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— Hurricane Hunters (@53rdWRS) October 28, 2025
The flight, operating under the call sign TEAL 75, wasn’t for the faint-hearted. Inside the aircraft, the crew was strapped in monitoring dozens of instruments while the plane pitched and rolled violently in the outer bands of the storm.
Visuals of Turbulence in the cabin of Lockheed Martin WP 3D ORION operated as TEAL 75.
TEAL 75 is the call sign for a 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron “Hurricane Hunter” crew, which recently experienced severe turbulence while flying into Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
— FL360aero (@fl360aero) October 29, 2025
In hurricane Melissa, sensors on the plane measured wind speed, air pressure, temperature, and humidity. From time to time, dropsondes; small, parachute-equipped devices were released from the plane, sending real-time information down to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Every reading helped meteorologists understand how Melissa was moving and how strong it was, improving the forecasts that local governments relied on to protect communities.
The infamous Hurricane Hunters just had one of the wildest flights in history today.
Flying straight into the heart of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules aircraft, call sign TEAL 75, was slammed by violent turbulence
The G-forces were so extreme… pic.x.com/n7PmgSBeTA
— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) October 29, 2025
Inside the aircraft, the scene was intense. Crew members strapped into their seats watched instruments flicker wildly; sometimes barely able to read data through the violent shakes. On the outside, there were roar of the engines mixed with the thunderous sound of the hurricane.
Major kudos to the brave men and women of the Hurricane Hunters. They risk their lives flying into these high end hurricanes, for meteorological research, analysis, forecasting, and ultimately saving lives.
I love the weather more than anything. But not sure I stomach this. You? pic.x.com/uXCr5PW6Ie
— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) October 30, 2025
It undoubtedly is a rare glimpse into nature’s fury from just miles above the storm. This is an experience most can only imagine. Yet despite the chaos, every piece of data collected was precious.
It directly contributes to NHC warnings that can mean the difference between life and death on the ground.
The turbulence they encountered was beyond what the crew had expected. The squadron later reported on social media that the aircraft had experienced forces “stronger than normal” while attempting to penetrate the storm’s eye.
Safety rules forced the team to abort the mission and return to base for inspection ensuring the plane was not damaged before its next flight. The pilots however emphasise that this is part of the job. Flying into the most violent storms on Earth requires split-second decisions, nerves of steel, and teamwork.
A thread of videos from today’s flight into Hurricane Melissa
In this first one 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. pic.x.com/qGdpp7lbCN
— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025
Melissa’s power was evident from the reports coming in. NOAA issued urgent warnings for Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Eastern Cuba, the Southeast Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The report for Jamaica was particularly stark: “THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION! TAKE COVER NOW! Catastrophic winds with total structural failure are likely near the path of Melissa’s center.
Catastrophic flash flooding, landslides, and destructive winds are expected across the remainder of the island causing widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages and isolated communities. Along the southern coast, life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected through the day.”
It is this kind of data, gathered directly from the storm’s eye, that helps forecasters issue timely warnings and advisories. Without the Hurricane Hunters’ daring flights, officials would have to solely rely on satellite images or computer generated models. It also gives a general idea of where the hurricane Melissa is right now.
TEAL 75 had to turn back early due to extreme turbulence. But the mission was far from a failure. Every minute inside the storm provided valuable readings.
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