This is what the eye of Hurricane Melissa looks like. “Darkness has fallen.” The recordings went viral on the Internet

Hurricane Melissa is the most powerful element of this type in the world this year. It formed in the Caribbean Sea a week ago, but gained significant strength last weekend. It has now reached category five on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Wind speed reaches up to 280 km per hour, with gusts reaching up to 345 km per hour.

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Footage from the eye of Hurricane Melissa has been released online. A plane from the American government agency NOAA, nicknamed “Kermit”, flew there. On board were, among others: meteorologist Matthew Cappucci.

Footage from the eye of Hurricane Melissa. “My jaw dropped”

“When we entered the storm, darkness fell. The sun had set, but the darkness somehow seemed thicker. I could barely see the plane's wing through the fog. It was not a dark abyss outside, but rather a gloomy darkness,” Cappucci reported in The Washington Post. He adds that the turbulence was increasing from second to second. Through it, right next to the hurricane's eye wall, one of his cameras fell to the floor.

According to the meteorologist, the moment they flew into the eye of the hurricane was “one of the most striking moments in his career.” “I pressed my face against the window. My jaw dropped. I was sitting in the middle of a 15 km wide stadium of gods,” he describes the situation.

The powerful force of Hurricane Melissa. This country could suffer greatly

The strength of a hurricane is determined by the pressure level at its center. The lower it is, the stronger the element becomes. The pressure in Melissa's eye is currently 901 hPa, which puts it among the top hurricanes.

Jamaica will be hit hardest by Melissa's impact. Forecasts show that up to 1,000 mm of rain may fall there in a few days. A hurricane approaching this country may lead to one of the most destructive disasters in years.