{"id":80920,"date":"2025-10-29T21:46:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nationalturk.com\/en\/?p=80920"},"modified":"2025-10-29T21:46:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T18:46:14","slug":"hurricane-melissa-ties-records-with-185","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationalturk.com\/en\/hurricane-melissa-ties-records-with-185\/","title":{"rendered":"Hurricane Melissa ties records with 185 mph winds as scientists call it a \u201cbeast of a storm\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hurricane<\/a> Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday with record-tying 185 mph (297 km\/h) winds, leaving scientists stunned by its power and behavior. The storm broke through several atmospheric conditions that would typically weaken a hurricane \u2014 and instead grew stronger, making it one of the most extreme tropical systems ever recorded in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n

Extreme intensification defied forecasts<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to meteorologists, Melissa experienced \u201cextreme rapid intensification\u201d, gaining nearly 70 mph in just 24 hours \u2014 far beyond the 35 mph threshold for rapid intensification. It then went through a second burst of strengthening, reaching 175 mph before landfall.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis has been a remarkable, just a beast of a storm,\u201d said Phil Klotzbach, hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.<\/p>\n

Record-breaking power<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Melissa tied the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and 2019\u2019s Hurricane Dorian for the strongest Atlantic landfalls ever recorded, both in wind speed and barometric pressure. Only Hurricane Allen (1980) had higher wind speeds \u2014 190 mph \u2014 but it did not make landfall at that intensity.<\/p>\n

What surprised scientists most was Melissa\u2019s stability: it resisted weakening despite conditions that normally disrupt powerful hurricanes, such as eyewall replacement cycles, mountainous terrain, and ocean cooling.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt didn\u2019t even notice Jamaica was there\u201d<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Researchers noted that Melissa hovered near Jamaica\u2019s mountains before landfall \u2014 a scenario that typically weakens storms \u2014 yet its strength barely wavered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was next to a big mountainous island, and it didn\u2019t even notice it was there,\u201d said Brian McNoldy of the University of Miami.<\/p>\n

Fueled by abnormally warm water<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Warm ocean water serves as a hurricane\u2019s fuel, and Melissa had plenty. Sea temperatures beneath the storm were about 2\u00b0C (3.6\u00b0F) above average, allowing it to \u201cvent\u201d energy continuously.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis storm had enough warm water at such high levels and it just kept going,\u201d said Bernadette Woods Placky of Climate Central, calling the process \u201cwild and alarming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Climate Central estimated that human-caused climate change made such abnormally warm water 500 to 700 times more likely, contributing directly to Melissa\u2019s explosive growth.<\/p>\n

More Category 5 storms in a warmer world<\/strong><\/h2>\n

An Associated Press analysis found that 13 Category 5 hurricanes have formed in the Atlantic between 2016 and 2025 \u2014 more than any previous 10-year span in recorded history. Nearly one-third of all Category 5 hurricanes over the past 125 years have occurred since 2016.<\/p>\n

While historical data before satellite tracking is incomplete, scientists agree that climate change is fueling stronger storms, even if the overall number of hurricanes doesn\u2019t increase.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing a direct connection between rising ocean temperatures and rapid storm intensification,\u201d Woods Placky said. \u201cWhen these systems pass over extremely warm water, they\u2019re pushed to new, dangerous levels.\u201d
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