Overview
- A NOAA Hurricane Hunter dropsonde measured the peak as Melissa neared Jamaica, with the extreme gust recorded near the end of the instrument’s fall at low altitude.
- NSF NCAR’s review found no anomalies and verified a new dropsonde record, eclipsing Typhoon Megi’s 248 mph and sitting 1 mph below the fastest gust ever measured on Earth.
- Scientists stress that gusts differ from the sustained winds used for hurricane categories, with Melissa’s top sustained winds near 185 mph.
- Officials tie the measurement to a storm that killed at least 90 people across the Caribbean, including 45 in Jamaica, where damages were estimated at $8.8 billion.
- Dropsonde data provide near-surface pressure, temperature, humidity and wind for forecasts and warnings that aircraft cannot safely collect close to the ocean surface.