This article explains the verified record-breaking wind measurement taken by a dropsonde in Hurricane Melissa and what it means for hurricane science and public safety.
I summarize how the measurement was obtained, how verification was conducted by national research organizations, and why this event matters for forecasting, historical records, and operational response.
What happened: a verified 252 mph wind reading from Hurricane Melissa
During an aerial reconnaissance mission into Hurricane Melissa, a dropsonde released from a NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft recorded a gust of 252 miles per hour as it descended toward the Atlantic surface.
That value, once verified, exceeds the previous all-storm record of 248 mph measured in Typhoon Megi (2010), making this the strongest hurricane wind ever recorded by instrument.
The dropsonde’s data were transmitted to researchers aboard the aircraft via satellite and immediately flagged for follow-up.
Verification was performed by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research (USNSF NCAR), the agency that developed and supplies dropsondes globally, and their analysis found no anomalies.
How the instrument captured such a record
Dropsondes are small, parachute-equipped sensors designed to measure the vertical profile of a storm as they fall.
They record parameters including pressure, humidity, temperature, and wind speed and direction, relaying those observations in real time to the aircraft and ground-based centers.
The record gust occurred near the ocean surface in extremely hazardous conditions — precisely the location and environment where such high winds are most likely to be found, but also where in-situ observations are rare.
The combination of robust instrument design, immediate in-flight flagging, and post-flight analysis underpins the confidence in this measurement.
Why rigorous verification matters
Not every extreme reading is automatically accepted into the scientific record.
Instruments can fail, data can be corrupted during transmission, and environmental factors can create spurious spikes.
In this case, NCAR’s rigorous testing confirmed the reading’s accuracy and found no anomalies that would invalidate the measurement.
This verification process is what sets this record apart from some past, unverified claims — for example, an often-cited high gust from Hurricane Katrina that did not pass the same level of scrutiny and therefore did not enter the canonical record.
The verification steps and standards
Verification typically includes instrument health checks, cross-comparison with nearby measurements, analysis of the dropsonde’s raw telemetry, and checks for physical plausibility against storm structure and expected dynamics.
Implications for science, forecasting, and safety
From a scientific perspective, a verified 252 mph gust refines our understanding of the extreme tail of hurricane wind distributions and provides a real-world datapoint for validating high-resolution models.
For operational forecasters and emergency managers, it reinforces the destructive potential of Category 5 storms and the necessity of conservative evacuation and preparedness planning when faced with rapidly intensifying systems.
Hurricane Melissa, described as a deadly Category 5 storm, is now tied as the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall on record.
This serves as a sobering reminder of the stakes involved when powerful tropical cyclones approach populated coastlines.
Looking ahead
As an atmospheric scientist with three decades of experience, I view this event as both a technical milestone and a cautionary signal.
Continued investment in airborne reconnaissance and validated observational systems like dropsondes is essential for improving forecasts and saving lives.
The data we collect in extreme conditions are rare and invaluable. They must be acquired and vetted carefully so they can inform both science and policy.
Here is the source article for this story: Record-breaking 252 mph wind reading verified from historic Hurricane Melissa