Weathering the storm? As Hurricane Melissa approached Jamaica on 28 October 2025, an aircraft equipped with an NCAR-developed system released several probes, or sondes, into the storm. One of these sondes measured a wind gust of 252 mph, the strongest ever recorded by this method. (Courtesy: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-19 satellite image)"> Weathering the storm? As Hurricane Melissa approached Jamaica on 28 October 2025, an aircraft equipped with an NCAR-developed system released several probes, or sondes, into the storm. One of these sondes measured a wind gust of 252 mph, the strongest ever recorded by this method. (Courtesy: NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-19 satellite image)

With several dozen talks taking place at any one time, figuring out which session to attend at the American Physical Society’s Global Physics Summit is a challenge. On Wednesday, though, my choice was particularly stark. Should I depress myself by attending the session on “The Crisis in American Science”?…