The US Air Force Reserve's Hurricane Hunters encountered heavy turbulence when it entered the eye of the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Tuesday and had to return to its operating location, the Hurricane Hunters said.

The aircraft, officially known as the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron crew, landed in the Caribbean island country of Curaçao after briefly experiencing higher-than-normal forces, the Hurricane Hunters said on Facebook.

Hurricane Melissa was heading toward Jamaica after intensifying into one of the strongest Atlantic basin hurricanes in recorded history. Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that Jamaica will likely face catastrophic flooding, landslides and winds.

The Hurricane Hunters, based at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, are known fo

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