Melissa was one of the strongest storms on record. NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters flew into it without pay

A NOAA crew pilots the WP-3D Orion “Kermit” into Hurricane Melissa. Cmdr. Danielle Varwig/NOAA

Tossed and battered by violent wind and severe turbulence, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters have spent the past week diving into the eye of Melissa — a storm of historic ferocity — to gather life-saving data. They have done it around the clock, 24/7, because their mission is considered essential to public safety.

But this time, with the government shut down, they have done it all without pay.

The Hurricane Hunters are a standard feature of US storm response. Information gathered by the planes’ specialized equipment, which includes a tail-mounted doppler radar that takes a virtual CT scan of the storm, are crucial for issuing accurate forecasts and g