What are the highest winds?

The Mount Washington record was toppled in 1996 when an unmanned instrument station in Barrow Island, Australia recorded a new record of 253 miles per hour during Typhoon Olivia. Though the Observatory record fell, it's a very human story, and it still stands as the highest surface wind speed ever observed by man. read more

In the United States, the wind speed used in design is often referred to as a "3-second gust" which is the highest sustained gust over a 3-second period having a probability of being exceeded per year of 1 in 50 (ASCE 7-05). read more

U.S. Highest Wind Before Tropical Cyclone Olivia came along, the highest wind speed measured anywhere in the world was 231 mph (372 km/h) recorded at the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire on April 12, 1934. read more

Extremely strong winds were recorded later in the afternoon and evening of the 12th and then the storm slowly moved north and entered a weakening phase. The storm lasted only one day. Some snow was recorded along with severe icing. The anemometer used to record the record wind was a heated anemometer designed special for Mount Washington. read more