The fastest winds ever measured, and the U.S. landfalls near them

253 mph at Barrow Island

WMO's record for the fastest surface wind gust is 113.2 m/s, or 253 mph and 220 knots, measured at Barrow Island, Australia, on 10 April 1996 as Tropical Cyclone Olivia passed. The instrument was a heavy-duty three-cup anemometer set 10 m above ground and 64 m above sea level, and it logged a run of gusts of 199, 220 and 202 knots. A WMO expert panel formally reviewed the reading in 2012, and the documentation appeared that year in the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic Journal.

The Barrow Island gust displaced the 372 km/h reading from the summit of Mount Washington in April 1934 as the world mark. It also stands as WMO's record for the strongest gust in a tropical cyclone.

Mount Washington and the Northern Hemisphere

The New Hampshire summit still holds WMO's Northern and Western Hemisphere records, a 103.3 m/s (231 mph) gust on 12 April 1934 at 1,856 m (6,089 ft). The highest landfall gusts quoted below, including 121 kt at Tyndall Air Force Base during Michael, fall well short of both.

Tornado winds

WMO keeps tornado winds as a separate record: the highest recorded tornadic wind speed is 135 m/s (302 mph), at Bridge Creek, Oklahoma, on 3 May 1999. On the ground, SPC's Enhanced Fujita scale rates tornadoes from damage, and its top category, EF5, covers estimated 3-second gusts over 200 mph.

Sustained wind in the strongest cyclones

By maximum sustained wind, WMO lists a tie for the most intense tropical cyclone at 95 m/s (185 kt, 215 mph): Typhoon Nancy in 1961 and Hurricane Patricia in the eastern Pacific in 2015. By central pressure, Typhoon Tip holds the world record at 870 mb on 12 October 1979, and Patricia holds the Western Hemisphere's at 872 mb.

Landfalls in NHC's reports

Knot values are NHC's estimates; mph figures are rounded conversions.

NHC calls Dorian the strongest hurricane in modern records to make landfall in the Bahamas. Michael is the strongest landfall of record in the Florida Panhandle and the latest-dated category 5 landfall in the United States. Before reaching Florida, Irma made four of its seven landfalls as a category 5 across the northern Caribbean, including Barbuda at 155 kt.

What instruments caught, and missed

Landfall intensities are estimates, and NHC notes that its best-track intensities typically carry an uncertainty of around 10% either way. The instruments nearest Michael's eyewall show why: the Tyndall AFB station reported a peak gust of 121 kt (about 139 mph) before it stopped reporting, and a Florida Coastal Monitoring Program tower recorded 112 kt before it was knocked down. NHC adds that the observing sites were likely not placed to sample the maximum winds, which it calls typical of landfalling hurricanes.

Other peak gusts from these reports: a spotter on Marco Island measured 112 kt during Irma's final Florida landfall, and the Grand Isle C-MAN station logged 99 kt during Katrina, the strongest from an official reporting station.

What that wind does to buildings

NHC's Saffir-Simpson descriptions follow the roof up the scale. At Category 3, well-built framed homes may lose roof decking and gable ends; at Category 5, a high percentage of framed homes are destroyed through total roof failure and wall collapse. Michael's report put numbers on it: in Mexico Beach, 1,584 of the town's 1,692 buildings were reported damaged, and 809 of those were destroyed.

After a wind event, NRD's storm damage roof repair guide sets out next steps, its encyclopedia explains what a FORTIFIED roof is, and the NRD Storm Center has a page for each state.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Barrow Island gust also the tornado record?

No. WMO tracks tornado winds separately, and its highest recorded tornadic wind is 302 mph at Bridge Creek, Oklahoma, in 1999.

Which U.S. hurricane landfalls had lower pressure than Michael?

Michael's report lists only two since reliable records began in 1900: the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 at 892 mb and Camille in 1969 at 900 mb, against Michael's 919 mb.

Why do hurricane reports give wind in knots?

NHC works in knots and publishes mph alongside; on its Saffir-Simpson scale, Category 5 begins at 137 kt, or 157 mph.