During Hurricane Melissa’s wrath on the Caribbean, hurricane hunters played a crucial role in collecting data on Melissa’s sustained wind speeds and minimum central pressure. During one of the final intercepts of Hurricane Melissa prior to landfall in Jamaica,

Hurricane Hunters were forced to cut short their reconnaissance mission into the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Monday morning, Oct. 27.

Hurricane Melissa is a Category 5 storm as of the most recent update from the NHC, with maximum sustained wind gusts reaching 175 mph. The storm is barreling toward Jamaica, where catastrophic, life-threatening damage is expected, as landfall in the Caribbean island nation is forecast for Tuesday.

Kermit is one of two WP-3D Orion turboprop airplanes that NOAA operates, often alongside the Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron. Logging its first hurricane mission in 1976, Kermit is older than many of the people who fly it. On its belly are the names of over 100 hurricanes that the craft has flown into.

Melissa is the fifth-most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record by pressure and the strongest such hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

Hurricane hunter Matthew Cappucci gives account of flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa with WBZ's Executive Weather producer Terry Eliasen.

The federal government’s hurricane hunters have continued to fly despite the shutdown. At least two missions — one operated by NOAA on Monday and the second by the Air Force on Tuesday — were aborted when pilots experienced dangerous turbulence passing through the hurricane.

Texans star defensive end Danielle Hunter was born in Jamaica, moving to Katy with his family and now he's concerned about family members still living in Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Melissa

Dr. Andy Hazelton was onboard five flights with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Hunters into Hurricane Melissa, calling the storm that was clocked 250 mph winds at flight height "another level.