Highest Recorded Windspeed in the US

[elwood]

I always thought it was on the summit of Mt. washington.. Here: http://www.distant.ca/UselessFacts/fact.asp?ID=51 they tell me it was in Oklahoma in 1999???

Is this a fact?

[kmrnskier]

Elwood - sounds like those wind speeds recorded in Oklahoma are from tornadoes. Does that count in comparison to Mt. Washingtons' highest wind speed?

[Jolly J]

Mount Washington's record was a full frontal wind as opposed to tornado. I'm not sure why or if there are different classes if at all

[elwood]

To me, I see wind as wind. On top of Mt. Washington, those gales are produces by weather systems just the same as tornadoes... Although tornadoes are a freak occurence of weather, that is still wind produced by weather system.. Therefore, I don't see how you could classify them differently... Do you agree/ disagree? :confused:

[RR]

Having been flattened by a prolonged gust of 120 up on Lion's Head*, I don't much care that it wasn't the worlds fastest wind or the fastest in the USA either. It was friggen scary!

Over 80 mph is plenty hard on hikers (etc), over 100 and it's trouble, over 120 up in the rocks at 18 degrees and dropping is very serious bidniss! I can't imagine human beings surviving for more than a few seconds in an alipne setting with winds over 200 mph, unless they can find a bit of shelter.

*Climbed Odell's and walked off via the Alpine Garden and LH.

[Frankontour]

I'm not meteorologist, but I've taken a course on the meteo phenomenons, in the late 90s. It was extremely interesting and I heard there that nothing could beat tornadoes for the wind force. So I was a little bit surprised to see the 231mph of Mt Washington like being the highest windspeed recorded. I guess it's because a tornado is something extremely local, most of the times, and it doesn't advance necessary fastly. It's just when you're in the twister that it is so fast. So I think there is 2 different classifications.

Oh, Elwood, I think your link doesn't work anymore...

But honestly, 231mph of gust or 231mph in a twister, I prefer to see both in my living room, watching a movie :D

[Frankontour]

Oh..... I forgot that another classification could be done, for the pyroclastic flows during volcanos eruptions. Normally, the pyroclastic flows are somewhere between 125-200mph, but I heard in my course and read in few books that the Wind + pyroclastic flow from the eruption of Mt St-Helens in may 1980 reached (on an enough long distance) not less than 680MPH

[Mumster]

Jolly J:
Mount Washington's record was a full frontal wind as opposed to tornado. I'm not sure why or if there are different classes if at all Mt Washington holds the wind gust record. I also don't know why they distinguish between standard wind and tornado gusts :confused: - But tornado winds are stronger. It may have to do with the different rotational/torsional forces having different environmantal impacts.

[Lftgly]

I don't know about Oklahoma, but the OBS had a lengthy rebuttal to the 1997 challenge. "December 16, 1997, Andersen Air Force Base, on the Pacific island of Guam, reported a gust of 236 miles per hour. If verified, the event would have established a new world record for a surface gust..."

http://www.mountwashington.org/weather/world-record.html

Apparently Oklahoma's record is in a different category than the OBS "surface gust".

see also http://www.mountwashington.org/bigwind/

[NtrentT]

Tornados dont count. Thats Cheeting. Mt.washington recorded REAL WIND, not some freak storm called a tornado.. sheeh. Why am I the only one who has said that so far, am i crazy? :eek:

[elwood]

I don't know Ntrent... 231 mph isn't afreak occurrence? I mean, it hasn't happened since the 1930s...

[Jolly J]

It could also be the recorded wind speed. How do they record a wind speed on a tornado? Isn't it estimated from a safe distance?

[Castlerock]

I believe that Tornado wind speeds are measured by Doppler Radar as opposed to an anemometer. (which might have something to do with the differentiation)

[BladeGirl]

elwood:
I don't know Ntrent... 231 mph isn't afreak occurrence? I mean, it hasn't happened since the 1930s... Now thats an interesting point, Elwood. Does anyone know what the SECOND higest wind speed recorded at Mt. Washington is?

That asked, I admit I feel kind of like NtrentT. Isn't part of how we Tucks folks define ourselves as the people who hike and ski the mountain with the worst weather in the world? It may not be the tallest, coldest, or most dangerous (although the danger is certainly a factor!), but gosh darn it its got the higest wind speed ever recorded!

-BG

[Jolly J]

I don't think Dopler Radar measures wind speed. I could be wrong though. I'll see if gwest knows, he used to voli at the observatory

[Skilasnow]

I don't think tornadoes count either. A tornado is a brief catachlism recorded during a storm. Mt Washington recorded sustained winds for 24 hours of over 180 while recording regular gusts up over 200.

BIG DIFFERENCE!

[Castlerock]

Doppler radar works by detecting speed. That is the whole point. The Doppler effect is speed induced. Check out this link.

NOAA Doppler Radar Primer (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/ost/88dtech.html)

[Jolly J]

Castlerock,

Your right. Thanks for the link

[gwest]

Yep, tornado speeds are usually radar estimated, or estimated from the damage they cause by official NWS people. They are estimations, so they dont officially count. The mt washington speed is the highest surface wind speed ever recorded. It was recorded by an old 3-cup anemometer, and they actually had to count the clicks the anemometer made in a certain amount of time on a stopwatch, and calculate the wind speed that way. I'm not sure, but i think the 2nd highest ever recorded there is 180something mph.

[M@]

Wasn't there some other wind speed record that was recorded, but the equipment blew away so they couldn't count it?

M@ :ducttape:

[gwest]

yeah, that was discussed above. It was in Guam. But yeah, the equipment was tested after the fact, and found to be inaccurate. It was reporting crazy things like sustained 80mph with gusts to 240mph ...just doesnt happen.