The wind speed caused by Hurricane Melissa broke the record and reached 405.5 km/h

Hurricane Melissa’s wind gusts reached record speeds shortly before the phenomenon made landfall in the Caribbean last month, according to data collected as the storm passed. The information was collected by a Hurricane Hunter aircraft from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which launched a series of meteorological instruments into the hurricane. The process was detected by the US National Science Foundation, through the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).

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The equipment, known as Dropsondes, descends with small parachutes and takes two to four measurements per second until it falls into the ocean. It is the only one capable of recording pressure, temperature, humidity and wind speed simultaneously, which is the basic data for forecasts and alerts issued by meteorological services.

“When we encounter a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, it is not possible to bring the plane close to the surface, it would be completely unsafe. But there, near sea level, are the people and buildings that are most at risk,” explained Terry Hauck, the NCAR engineer in charge of the probe program. “The probe provides information that can’t be obtained any other way, which is why this instrument has been around for decades.”

The equipment, known as a probe, descends with small parachutes and takes two to four measurements per second until it falls into the ocean - Image: Holger Vömel/NSF NCAR — The equipment, known as a probe, descends with small parachutes and takes two to four measurements per second until it falls into the ocean – Image: Holger Vömel/NSF NCAR

One instrument launched as Melissa passed recorded a gust of 252 mph (about 405.5 km/h) before it reached the sea, the highest speed ever captured by a drop probe. NOAA researchers contacted NCAR to confirm whether the value was legitimate.

“NOAA called us when they saw the high wind speeds and asked: Are these numbers reliable?” reported Holger Vomel, a senior scientist at NCAR who works on the program.

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The team reviewed the data using quality control software and verified that the storm surge was physically possible, consistent with hurricane behavior and consistent with patterns observed in previous storms. The examination confirmed the accuracy of the measurement.

The previous record was set in 2010, during Typhoon Megi, in the western Pacific Ocean, when the drop probe detected a speed of 248 mph (about 399.1 km/h). In Hurricane Katrina, measurements that were initially considered extreme were discarded due to flaws in the data, according to the National Center for Disaster Research.

“They have pilots and researchers literally risking their lives to get these measurements,” Vomel said. “They are the heroes, and it is an honor to be able to play a role in making sure the measurements they get are accurate.”

Hurricane Melissa caused widespread devastation in the Caribbean at the end of October. The regime landed in Jamaica in the fifth category and then advanced towards Cuba, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Dozens of people died, especially in Jamaica and Haiti, according to CBS News.