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Hurricane Melissa Winds Reached 252 Mph
The 252 mph gust inside Hurricane Melissa sets a dropsonde world record and exceeds Typhoon Megi's 2010 wind speed, confirming it as the strongest gust in an Atlantic hurricane.
- On November 19, 2025, the National Science Foundation confirmed a dropsonde recorded a 252 mph gust inside Hurricane Melissa, the strongest gust in an Atlantic hurricane and highest worldwide.
- As Melissa approached Jamaica, a NOAA Hurricane Hunter plane released dropsondes that transmitted wind, pressure, temperature and humidity data, prompting the NHC to flag the high reading for NSF and NCAR verification.
- Measured roughly 650 feet above the ocean surface, the dropsonde that sampled Melissa's eyewall recorded a 252 mph gust, surpassing Megi's 248 mph record and surviving unusually strong winds over 200 mph, NCAR researchers said.
- The data offers meteorologists a rare look inside a Category 5 storm at peak strength and will support improved hurricane intensity modeling, while Jamaican officials reported Melissa killed at least 90 people.
- By pressure and sustained winds, Melissa tied for the third-lowest pressure at 892 millibars and joins nine Atlantic hurricanes with 180+ mph winds and seven with pressure below 900 millibars.
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14 Articles
14 Articles
Record-breaking wind gust in Jamaica verified by National Science Foundation
KINGSTON, Jamaica – A record-breaking 252 mile per hour wind gust was recorded during Hurricane Melissa in October. The National Science Foundation has now verified the force of that gust.
·Spokane, United States
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Wind gusts during Hurricane Melissa reached record speeds of over 405 kilometers per hour last month when it hit the Caribbean coast.
·Belgrade, Serbia
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources14
Leaning Left1Leaning Right1Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
L 17%
C 67%
R 16%
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