Over the weekend, Hurricane Melissa underwent a rapid intensification to Category 5 strength, hitting a peak of 175 mph maximum sustained winds Monday with a central pressure of 906 mb, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The 906 mb pressure is the lowest ever recorded in the Atlantic basin for a storm this late in the hurricane season, and also puts Melissa as Earth’s strongest system of 2025 to beat out Typhoon Ragasa in the Western Pacific, which recorded maximum sustained winds of 165 mph with a central pressure of 910 mb, per Yale Climate Connections. (RELATED: History-Making Melissa So Violent That Hurricane Hunters Forced To End Reconnaissance Flight Early)
Monday morning at 8:55 a.m. ET, NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters released a dropsonde that recorded a remarkable 241 mph wind gust with the altitude being marked at 709 feet. That number is historically one of the strongest wind gusts ever for a hurricane, according to the outlet.
Footage was also shared Monday of a U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron reconnaissance flight the day earlier, which shows “as clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin.” Shot by a crew member, the Teal 74 mission into Melissa was posted by meteorologist and Hurricane Hunter, Jeremy DeHart.
WATCH:
From a crewmember on yesterday’s Teal 74 mission into now-Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa. As clear of an eye as you will see in the Atlantic basin. pic.twitter.com/5tktvvrIR1
— Jeremy DeHart (@JeremyDeHartWX) October 27, 2025
Hurricane Melissa is the third Category 5 of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, joining Hurricane Erin and Hurricane Humberto, according to Yale Climate Connections.
2025 is only the second season in Atlantic history with over two Category 5 storms. 2005 holds the record at four, with Hurricane Emily, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Wilma all reaching Category 5 strength, per the outlet.