I've seen it. Basically it's just a wall of mesovortices. Reserved for the absolute top tier of intense hurricanes. Left is from Ian. Right is from Michael

But they captured some historic data including the 893mb center drop, cementing #Melissa as the 3rd most intense hurricane on record in the Atlantic. Mission for the ages.

I was worried for my crew mates when I saw them circling in the eye for over 20 mins. Looks like the very rough ride was confirmed. Plane had to leave early. They reported svr turb and a "sawtooth" eye. Looks like they moved 600-700ft up & down during this stretch in ~1 min.

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.

From Hurricane #Imelda today. Strong winds create a streaking effect on the ocean surface. Was about 65 kts here so this is hurricane force. Eventually upgraded to Cat 2 during the mission. Should pack a decent punch to Bermuda tonight.

The final 53 WRS mission into Erin is just wrapping up. This was the 24th recon mission on this storm, several of which were ~12 hrs long. Now set to begin flying on #90L into next week as it heads toward Bermuda. Hug your local hurricane hunter. 😅

We were a bit heavier and slower today, so the tail behind us was able to make up 25 mins and caught up to us

Just returned home. Good explainer on why #Chantal threw us a curve on the 2nd fix. Was expecting it to be NNW of the 1st fix, but got an abrupt wind flip to the NE, so had to circle and reattack from the south. Maybe this means track toward the right side of the cone? Tricky storm!

TEAL 71 is now enroute to investigate #92L. Three more @53rdWRS missions on the books through the weekend. USA airpower at work. Happy Independence Day 🇺🇸

Another EPAC cyclone blowing up before landfall. Pressure in Hurricane #Erick dropped rapidly from 977mb to 972mb between passes (from center dropsondes). Closed eye was really wrapping up the second time through. Next 53 WRS mission will be in the storm this evening.

Today's POD for Tue and Wed

Last night we wore out this spot in the Gulf as we began our annual SFMR calibration missions this week. Flew a 1+ hr racetrack spiraling down from 25K ft to near the surface. Had the added benefit of feeding a few dropsondes into the models ahead of this weekend's severe wx.

Look for potential swings in 00Z model output this evening with a 53 WRS mission in progress over the Gulf. A second mission is also planned for 12Z.

Thank you for your service Mr. President. It will be my honor to continue serving our country under the next Commander in Chief, providing critical weather reconnaissance data to the American public 🇺🇸

First winter storm flight of the season complete! These dropsondes will help the models resolve the thermodynamic details of this sloppy mess over the next few days

Thought this place needed a little hurricane hunter content. Radar from Cat 5 Hurricane Lane (August 21, 2018) and eye of Hurricane Sam (September 29, 2021)