Storm Chasers Capture the Eye Wall of Hurricane Melissa on Video

The destructive Hurricane Melissa hit the Caribbean, dramatically affecting Jamaica and Cuba. News reports say the storm has ravaged towns, left millions without power, and killed dozens of people. The catastrophic nature of the storm was forecasted days before it touched down, prompting storm chasers to fly right into the hurricane when it took shape. One such adventurer was a hurricane hunter that goes by Flynonymous WX, who got some eerie yet breathtaking HD footage from inside the eye of the hurricane and the apparent calm within the storm.

Self-described as an “unprofessional photographer and United States Air Force Hurricane Hunter,” the X (formerly Twitter) user made five passes through the hurricane from sunrise to noon alongside his team. After braving the thick clouds, the crew was greeted with an otherworldly view, as a towering wall of swirling clouds covered their field of vision.

“People often ask about risk in flying through storms like Melissa, but we have procedures and train extensively,” Flynonymous WX wrote. One such danger was captured by the crew of the NOAA mission aboard the Lockheed WP-3D Orion. A clip shared on X captures the extreme turbulence they encountered on their way to hunt down the hurricane, in hopes of collecting weather information that helps scientists better understand this phenomenon.

Another hurricane hunter that ventured into Melissa is Matthew Cappucci. The meteorologist took a different approach, flying over the eye at night from 10,000 feet above ground. Though his image is not as detailed as the other footage, his accompanying caption paints a better picture of the sobering visuals. “That’s Melissa’s eyewall,” he explains. “The eye was a PERFECT circle. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was like being in a soup can and looking up.”

As powerful as all of the images and footage are, they are but a painful indicator of what the people who call the Caribbean home are facing. The damage extends beyond the countries where it made landfall, as Melissa also caused floods in Haiti and the Bahamas. To support those in need, you can donate to grassroots organizations like United Way of Jamaica, supporting local farmers; American Friends of Jamaica, offering disaster relief to Jamaica; GiveDirectly, delivering emergency cash to families; CORE, providing emergency supplies; and Direct Relief, providing medical aid. You can also donate to the American Red Cross and British Red Cross, which are currently on the ground in the affected areas.

Storm chaser Flynonymous WX flew into the eye of Hurricane Melissa and got some eerily striking footage.

A thread of videos from today’s flight into Hurricane Melissa

In this first one we are entering from the southeast just after sunrise and the bright arc on the far northwest eye wall is the light just beginning to make it over the top from behind us. pic.twitter.com/qGdpp7lbCN

— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025

Third pass through Melissa. GoPro in side window as different camera looking forward shooting in ultra high res 8k. Not sure when that might get processed as the file turned out ridiculous. Barely had HD space for it and MacBook Pro promptly chocked when I tried to edit it pic.twitter.com/3p430gPvZv

— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025

Fourth pass through Melissa this morning, another side view due to my hairbrained attempt to shoot 8k video out the front. pic.twitter.com/1fH2Rm5Z8H

— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025

Fifth and final pass through Hurricane Melissa for our crew today. Just after noon entering from the NW corner exiting SE. pic.twitter.com/BVtyIlZpsx

— Tropical Cowboy of Danger (@FlynonymousWX) October 27, 2025

Storm chaser Matthew Cappucci also flew over the eye at night.

I wish there as a better way to shoot in the dark from a plane at 10,000 feet with no lightning, but alas…

Yet this moment was incredible.

That's Melissa's eyewall. The eye was a PERFECT circle. I've never seen anything like it. It was like being in a soup can and looking up. pic.twitter.com/hv61kiRogi

— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) October 29, 2025

The crew from the NOAA hurricane hunting mission shared how bumpy their flight into the hurricane was.

Major kudos to the brave men and women of the Hurricane Hunters. They risk their lives flying into these high end hurricanes, for meteorological research, analysis, forecasting, and ultimately saving lives.

I love the weather more than anything. But not sure I stomach this. You? pic.twitter.com/uXCr5PW6Ie

— Noah Bergren (@NbergWX) October 30, 2025

Inside NOAA mission to #Melissa today. #AvGeek #ADSB #planespotting #27Oct pic.twitter.com/lj9wwr1DoO

— Falcon (@FlconEYES) October 28, 2025

From up above, satellites also captured the power of the hurricane.

Alrighty, ready to see something really cool?

The evolution of Hurricane Melissa's mesovortices at peak strength. pic.twitter.com/2T9ZNyzWtk

— Dakota Smith (@weatherdak) October 29, 2025

The Sentinel-2 satellite captured this image of Melissa's eye at peak intensity. 10m pixel resolution – one of the best satellite images ever captured of a hurricane of this intensity.

Image from 16z this morning. pic.twitter.com/yHL8oRrF40

— Peter Forister (@forecaster25) October 28, 2025

This has to be one of the most incredible and terrifying satellite loops that I've seen in a while. You can see 5 violent mesovorts spinning around the eye of #Melissa this morning. pic.twitter.com/X8uKMzJeqy

— Steve Copertino (@TheSteveCop) October 28, 2025

This satellite imagery of Melissa approaching Jamaica is jaw-dropping and sobering. https://t.co/M2VAAC0y3w pic.twitter.com/fuCaUQ7YNA

— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) October 29, 2025