A meteorologist had the rare opportunity to fly into the eye of a major hurricane. His bird's-eye view of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa left him horrified and humbled after staring into the inside of the 5th most intense Atlantic hurricane on record.

"It was mesmerizing and heart-sinking," wrote Matthew Cappucci about his experience in the Washington Post. 

"My jaw dropped," added Cappucci, describing the moment the National Hurricane Center's Hurricane Hunter, the aircraft that specialized crews use to fly into tropical cyclones, punched into the eye of Melissa. 

"I was sitting in the middle of a 10-mile-wide stadium of the gods," recalled Cappucci. "On all sides, hulking thunderstorms towered high above me — yet, directly overhead, the stars twinkled. With the faint glow offered by the moon, I could see brushstroke-like striations as the clouds in the eyewall swung around the eye at breakneck speeds. But, for a moment, I was in an oasis of calm."

"Despite being a scientist, I'm a faithful person, and I said a prayer… Please keep the folks in Jamaica in your thoughts." pic.twitter.com/RC9YmFNgyl

— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) October 28, 2025

The cognitive dissonance Cappucci experienced — amazed by the awesome power of the storm raging around him, yet keenly aware of the catastrophic destruction it could soon wreak on Jamaica — is something every meteorologist experiences whenever they gaze at the beautiful symmetry in satellite imagery of powerful hurricanes.

"Despite being a scientist, I'm a faithful person, and I said a prayer… Please keep the folks in Jamaica in your thoughts," Cappucci posted on X on Tuesday.

"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!" warned a tropical cyclone update posted by the National Hurricane Center Tuesday morning. "Take cover now! Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious injury, and loss of life. Residents in Jamaica that experience the eye should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase within the backside of the eyewall of Melissa."  

The center of Melissa was just 40 miles south of Negril, Jamaica, by the middle of the day. The Category 5 Hurricane was whipping up maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and moving north-northeast at 12 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

"Catastrophic hurricane-force winds are spreading over Jamaica within the eyewall of Melissa," warned a NHC bulletin. "Total structural failure is likely near the path of Melissa, especially in higher elevation areas where wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains could be up to 30 percent stronger."

Torrential rain and a life-threatening storm surge will cause flash floods and trigger landslides in the region. Reports of "extensive damage" to homes, hospitals, and schools in Jamaica have emerged after Hurricane Melissa made landfall, per CNN.

Melissa is forecast to produce between 15 and 30 inches of rain in Jamaica, with some spots locally receiving as much as 40 inches. Eastern Cuba is expected to see storm total rainfall of around 10-20 inches, with up to 25 inches locally.

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"There is a potential for significant storm surge along the southeast coast of Cuba late today or Wednesday," added the NHC bulletin. "Peak storm surge heights could reach 8 to 12 feet above normal tide levels, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall. This storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves."

Like so many recent storms, Melissa reflects how our overheating planet is amplifying extremes. Climate Central researchers found that unusually warm oceans boosted the top wind speeds of every 2024 Atlantic hurricane by as much as 14 miles per hour.

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