The U.S. Air Force Reserve’s 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron — famously known as the “Hurricane Hunters”— was forced to cut short a mission on Tuesday, October 28, after encountering extreme turbulence while flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa.

Operating out of Curaçao, the crew of flight TEAL 75 ran into unusually powerful forces inside the storm, prompting them to return to base for safety inspections before resuming operations.

The mission was part of an ongoing effort to collect vital atmospheric data on Hurricane Melissa, which at the time had intensified into a Category 5 storm with sustained winds reaching 185 mph. The turbulence proved so severe that the aircraft exceeded its normal stress limits, requiring a thorough inspection to ensure it could safely continue future flights.

Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) also faced challenges with its own hurricane research aircraft. On Monday, October 27, NOAA’s WP-3D Orion plane — nicknamed Kermit — experienced intense turbulence while recording 165 mph winds within the storm. The crew was forced to abort that mission as well, returning to Lakeland, Florida, for inspection and maintenance. The aircraft was cleared and back in the air later that day, according to The New York Times.

Hurricane Melissa has left a trail of destruction in its wake. The storm devastated Jamaica, toppling power lines, flooding communities, and causing widespread damage across the island. Now downgraded to a Category 3, Melissa continues to batter Cuba, bringing high winds and torrential rain as it moves northward through the Caribbean.

As both the Air Force and NOAA teams resume operations, their data will play a crucial role in forecasting Melissa’s next moves — and in improving the science behind hurricane tracking and safety.