Hurricane Hunters, the US Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron (WRS), were forced to return to their operating location in Curacao after they encountered “forces stronger than normal” while flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on October 29, reports ABC News. At least 34 people recently died because of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, as per the BBC.
Hurricane Hunters’ encounter with Hurricane Melissa::
The aircraft experienced heavier-than-normal turbulence as the Hurricane Hunters entered Hurricane Melissa, the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron confirmed on X, formerly Twitter. “While this does not automatically indicate damage, standard safety procedures require an inspection before returning to operations,” they wrote.
According to the National Hurricane Center, a similar situation occurred on Monday, when a “Hurricane Hunters” flight was forced to leave the “storm early” because of severe turbulence.
Despite having to make one return on Monday, the Air Force posted stunning footage showing the “Hurricane Hunters” flying into the storm’s eye several times during the day, as per ABC. The 53rd WRS is an Air Force Reserve unit assigned to the 403rd Wing, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.
Hurricane Melissa is stronger than Hurricane Katrina::
According to the National Hurricane Center, Melissa’s eye is “well-defined” and 10 nautical miles broad. At least 34 people died in Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba because of the storm, per the BBC. Hurricane Melissa, which has downgraded from a category five to a category two storm, is expected to make landfall in Bermuda later.
As many as 1,500 people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas in one of the largest operations in Bahamian history. As per the outlet, Hurricane Melissa, which sustained winds of 298km/h (185 mph) at its peak, is the strongest storm to strike the Caribbean island in modern times. It is stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,392 people in 2005.
