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What Are Record Wind Speeds?

The weight of the air above an object exerts a force upon that object and variations in this force lead to the development of winds. Winds are often referred to according to their strength, and the direction from which the wind is blowing. The records for short bursts of high-speed wind are measured in "gusts," while records in long-duration winds have various names associated with their average strength, such as "gale," "storm," "hurricane," "cyclone," and "typhoon."

Australia's Cyclone Olivia
- Cyclone Olivia lasted from April 5 to April 12, 1996 in the areas around Far North Queensland and Western Australia. It holds the world wind speed record for generating sustained winds of 145 mph (1-minute average) on an anemometer as it crossed over Barrow Island off the northwest coast of Australia on April 10, 1996. Olivia had an eye 45 miles in diameter at the time, and generated offshore waves 69 feet high. It destroyed 55 houses and damaged 27 more in the mining town of Pannawonica.
Mt. Washington's Storm
- During a wild April storm in 1934, a wind gust of 231 mph (sustained 1-minute average) pushed across the summit of Mt. Washington in the state of New Hampshire. This wind speed still holds the record for the all-time fastest surface wind speed recorded by man. On April 12, 1934 winds in Mt. Washington grew stronger and stronger. Frequent values of 220 mph were recorded between noon and 1 p.m., with occasional gusts of 229 mph. Then, at 1:21 p.m. on April 12, 1934, the extreme value of 231 mph out of the southeast was recorded. The storm lasted only one day.
Oklahoma City's Tornado
- The record for the fastest ever wind was recorded in near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on May 3, 1999. Doppler On Wheels (DOW), a fleet of radar trucks maintained by the Center for Severe Weather Research, recorded a 3-second gust of wind at 318 mph in one of a series of tornados that hit the city on the same day. The record-setting wind occurred about 7 p.m. near the suburb of Moore, where the tornado killed four people and destroyed about 250 houses.
Antarctica's Average Daily Wind
- The South Pole, also known as Antarctica, is renowned for its extreme weather conditions. An average day sees temperatures of between 40 and -50 degrees Fahrenheit with maximum winter temperatures reaching only -20 degrees Fahrenheit. Extreme winds accompany these freezing temperatures and the record for the fastest average daily wind was set at 108 mph in Port Martin in a 24-hour period between March 21 and March 22, 1951.

Nature