Copyright newskarnataka
Defying nature’s fury, a US Air Force reconnaissance crew made a daring flight into the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, capturing breathtaking footage of the storm’s rare “stadium effect” — a calm, circular expanse surrounded by towering, curved clouds. The storm, the world’s strongest in 2025, is barreling toward Jamaica, threatening to become the most powerful hurricane to ever make landfall on the island since record-keeping began in 1851. The crew, known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” flew into the storm to collect vital data for the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). Their mission involved multiple passes through the hurricane’s eye — each flight a perilous venture through violent turbulence and near-zero visibility. ‘A stadium in the sky’ Footage shared by the crew on X (formerly Twitter) shows their aircraft entering the hurricane “from the southeast just after sunrise.”“The bright arc on the far northwest eye wall is the light just beginning to make it over the top from behind us,” the post explained. Another video from inside the hurricane’s core reveals the ‘stadium effect’ — a phenomenon where the eye’s clouds appear to curve outward, resembling the inside of a sports arena when viewed from above. The team completed five passes through the storm before exiting in the afternoon. “Fifth and final pass through Hurricane Melissa for our crew today. Just after noon entering from the NW corner exiting SE,” one of the crew captions read. Jamaica braces for impact Hurricane Melissa, packing sustained winds of over 260 km/h, is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, before tracking toward Cuba and the Bahamas. The storm is not expected to affect the US mainland, forecasters said. Ahead of landfall, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged calm but admitted deep concern: “I have been on my knees in prayer,” Holness said. Authorities warned of storm surges up to 13 feet along the Kingston coastline — home to critical infrastructure including the island’s main airport and power plants. More than 50,000 households were without electricity, and reports of landslides, fallen trees, and downed power lines emerged from multiple parishes. Deadly trail across the Caribbean The hurricane has already claimed at least seven lives across the Caribbean — three in Haiti, three in Jamaica, and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Meteorologists say no storm of Category 4 or higher has directly hit Jamaica in nearly 174 years. The last major hurricane to make landfall was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which struck as a Category 3 storm.Hurricanes Ivan and Beryl (both Category 4) passed nearby but did not make direct landfall. As Melissa closes in, Jamaica and neighboring Caribbean nations remain on high alert, with emergency shelters opened and evacuation orders issued for coastal residents.
