Hurricane Melissa's 252-mph wind gust sets new record

The National Center for Atmospheric Research has confirmed that a 252-mph wind gust was measured in Hurricane Melissa, setting a new record for the highest wind speed reported by a dropsonde - a weather instrument released by Hurricane Hunter aircraft. The dropsonde is a small weather station attached to a parachute that measures various weather elements as it descends to the Earth's surface, transmitting the data back to the aircraft. An NRD41...