Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that answer the question.
Query: What is the strongest recorded wind?
The fastest wind speed not related to tornadoes ever recorded was during the passage of Tropical Cyclone Olivia on 10 April 1996: an automatic weather station on Barrow Island, Australia, registered a maximum wind gust of 408km/h (220kn; 253mph; 113m/s).[2] The wind gust was evaluated by the WMO Evaluation Panel who found that the anemometer was mechanically sound and the gust was within statistical probability and ratified the measurement in 2010. The anemometer was mounted 10 m above ground level (and thus 64 m above sea level). During the cyclone, several extreme gusts of greater than 300km/h (160kn; 83m/s) were recorded, with a maximum 5-minute mean speed of 176km/h (95kn; 110mph; 49m/s), the extreme gust factor was in the order of 2.27–2.75 times the mean wind speed. The pattern and scales of the gusts suggest that a mesovortex was embedded in the already strong eyewall of the cyclone.[3]
The New Year's Day Storm () was a powerful European windstorm that affected much of northern Scotland and western Norway on 1 January 1992. DNMI estimated the strongest sustained winds (10 min. average) and the strongest gusts to have reached 90 knots (46 m/s) and 62 m/s, respectively. Unofficial records of gusts in excess of 130 knots (67 m/s) were recorded in Shetland, while Statfjord-B in the North Sea recorded wind gusts in excess of 145 knots (75 m/s). There were very few fatalities, mainly due to the rather low population of the islands, and the fact that the islanders are used to powerful wind, and because it struck in the morning on a public holiday when people were indoors. In Norway there were one fatality, in Frei, Møre og Romsdal county. There were also two fatalities on Unst in the Shetland Isles.
The quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) is a quasiperiodic oscillation of the equatorial zonal wind between easterlies and westerlies in the tropical stratosphere with a mean period of 28 to 29 months. The alternating wind regimes develop at the top of the lower stratosphere and propagate downwards at about per month until they are dissipated at the tropical tropopause. Downward motion of the easterlies is usually more irregular than that of the westerlies. The amplitude of the easterly phase is about twice as strong as that of the westerly phase. At the top of the vertical QBO domain, easterlies dominate, while at the bottom, westerlies are more likely to be found. At the 30mb level, with regards to monthly mean zonal winds, the strongest recorded easterly was 29.55 m/s in November 2005, while the strongest recorded westerly was only 15.62 m/s in June 1995.
Hurricane Allen was a rare and extremely powerful Cape Verde hurricane that struck the Caribbean, eastern and northern Mexico, and southern Texas in August 1980. The first named storm and first tropical cyclone of the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season, it was one of the strongest hurricanes in recorded history. It was one of the few hurricanes to reach Category 5 status on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale on three separate occasions, and spent more time as a Category 5 than all but two other Atlantic hurricanes. Allen is the only hurricane in the recorded history of the Atlantic basin to achieve sustained winds of 190 mph (305 km/h), thus making it the strongest Atlantic hurricane by wind speed. These were also the highest sustained winds in the Western Hemisphere until Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
However, the strongest winds reported were at Lamap (Malakula Island), where hurricane-force winds were recorded between 3 and 5 p.m. that day. Gale force winds were also reported for a time from Aneityum. It is estimated from the meteorological information available, sustained winds during between 75 and 80 knots.
Hurricane Patricia (2015) is the strongest storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere, the second-strongest worldwide in terms of pressure, and the strongest in terms of 1-minute sustained winds.
Hurricane Charley in 2004—the first of three hurricanes to hit the county in six weeks—is the strongest storm in recent history to pass through the county, mainly impacting the eastern half of the county. The Lake Wales Fire Department recorded an unofficial maximum wind speed of sustained and a gust of . The hurricane entered the county south of Fort Meade, shortly after it passed Wauchula (in Hardee County), where a maximum wind gust of was recorded by emergency management officials. The hurricane-force wind field was relatively narrow, with the most intense wind damage being within of the center of the eye. For example maximum recorded winds were only sustained and a gust of at Gilbert Airport on the northwest side of the city.
A gust of 120.8 miles per hour (194.4 km/h) was recorded in southern Denmark, the strongest wind recorded in the country's history, however the Danish Meteorological Institute is convinced that the 1999 storm had even higher wind speeds, but different methods and faulty equipment meant that recordings were less than in 2013.
Australia's Barrow Island holds the record for the strongest wind gust, reaching 408 km/h (253 mph) during tropical cyclone Olivia on 10 April 1996, surpassing the previous record of 372 km/h (231 mph) set on Mount Washington (New Hampshire) on the afternoon of 12 April 1934. The most powerful gusts of wind on Earth were created by nuclear detonations. The blast wave is similar to a strong wind gust over the ground. The largest nuclear explosion (50–58 megatons at an altitude of about ) generated a 20 bar blast pressure at ground zero, which is similar to a wind gust of .
Typhoon Dujuan brought extremely powerful sustained winds and gusts in the Yaeyama Islands on September 28. The Yonaguni weather station observed a maximum gust of and maximum 10-minute sustained winds at , surpassing all previous records on the island; based on the observations in Yonaguni, Dujuan caused the fourth strongest gust and the seventh strongest sustained winds in the history of Japan, and that gust was also the strongest in Japan since September 1966. The typhoon also broke the record of maximum sustained winds near the Yonaguni Airport (Tokorono), which observed . Overall, five weather stations throughout the Yaeyama Islands observed hurricane-force sustained winds from Dujuan.
The storm also caused damage in Portugal and Spain. The strongest wind gust recorded in Portugal was 166 km/h (103 mph) while in Spain a gust of 228 km/h (142 mph) was recorded. In France a 241 km/h (150 mph) wind gust was recorded at the Pic du Midi.
Very Intense Tropical Cyclone Fantala was the most intense tropical cyclone of the South-West Indian Ocean in terms of sustained winds. Part of the 2015–16 cyclone season, Fantala formed on 11 April to the south of Diego Garcia, an island in the central Indian Ocean. With a ridge to the south, the storm moved westward for several days while gaining strength, aided by warm waters and decreasing wind shear. Late on 17 April, the Météo-France office on Réunion (MFR) estimated peak 10-minute winds of 250 km/h (155 mph), making Fantala the strongest tropical cyclone of the basin in terms of 10-minute sustained winds. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) estimated peak 1-minute winds of 285 km/h (180 mph), equivalent to Category 5 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson scale and the strongest on record in the South-West Indian Ocean, in terms of sustained wind speed.
In early December 2011, the Santa Ana winds were the strongest yet recorded. An atmospheric set-up occurred that allowed the towns of Pasadena and Altadena in the San Gabriel Valley to get whipped by sustained winds at , and gusts up to . The winds toppled thousands of trees, knocking out power for over a week. Schools were closed, and a "state of emergency" was declared. The winds grounded planes at LAX, destroyed homes, and were even strong enough to snap a concrete stop light from its foundation. The winds also ripped through Mammoth Mountain and parts of Utah. Mammoth Mountain experienced a near-record wind gust of , on December 1, 2011.
Cyclone Gonu set several intensity records. When it became a very severe cyclonic storm on June 3, Gonu became the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the Arabian Sea. Later, it became the only super cyclonic storm, which is a tropical cyclone with 3-minute sustained winds of at least 240 km/h (150 mph), in the region. The JTWC estimated peak winds of 270 km/h (165 mph). Based on their estimate, Gonu was tied with the 1991 Bangladesh cyclone for the strongest tropical cyclone in the entire northern Indian Ocean (based on windspeed), and had the highest windspeed of any cyclone in this basin. On June 6, Gonu made landfall in extreme eastern Oman with winds of 150 km/h (90 mph), making it the strongest tropical cyclone on record to strike the Arabian Peninsula. With a damage total of $4.2 billion (2007 USD) and 50 deaths, Gonu became the worst natural disaster on record in Oman. Additionally, the storm was only the second cyclonic storm on record to strike Iran, with the other one doing so on June 4, 1898.
Besides flooding, Hurricane Alice was also notable for another reason: it made landfall with some of the strongest winds in a June hurricane on record. With top winds of , the cyclone was the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the month of June, behind only Hurricane Audrey in 1957, which made landfall in Louisiana with winds of . The storm was somewhat analogous to Hurricane Alex, which also affected the same region in 2010 with winds of , though Alex made landfall in early July.
While moving across Florida, Katrina had an asymmetric area of thunderstorms, which placed the strongest winds and rainfall over Miami-Dade County. The highest precipitation total related to hurricane in the United States was in Perrine, or about halfway between Miami and Homestead. Of the total, fell in 24 hours. During its passage, the eye of the hurricane moved directly over the office of the National Hurricane Center, which reported a wind gust of . The strongest sustained winds in Florida was a report of on the roof of the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science in Virginia Key. The same station recorded a gust of . Unofficially, wind gusts reached at Homestead General Aviation Airport. The hurricane's accompanying storm surge was small, estimated at around . Consequentially, there was minor beach erosion and isolated coastal flooding.
The MFR's estimate of peak 10-minute sustained winds of 250 km/h (155 mph) made Fantala the strongest tropical cyclone on record in the south-west Indian Ocean by that measure. According to estimates from the JTWC, Fantala attained peak 1-minute sustained winds of 285 km/h (180 mph), surpassing Cyclone Agnielle from November 1995 as the strongest cyclone on record in the south-west Indian Ocean. Reliable satellite-based intensity estimates date back to 1990. The storm was fueled by the powerful 2014–16 El Niño event, which also contributed to the record intensities of Hurricane Patricia in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, as well as Cyclone Pam and Cyclone Winston in the southern Pacific Ocean.
Other significant tropical cyclones during the event included: Cyclone Pam, which became the second most intense tropical cyclone in the South Pacific in terms of wind speed and devastated Vanuatu; Cyclone Winston, was the most intense tropical cyclone in the Southern Hemisphere and devastated Fiji; Cyclone Fantala, which was the strongest storm in terms of 1-minute and 10-minute sustained winds in the South Indian Ocean; and Hurricane Patricia, which was the second-most-intense tropical cyclone on record globally in terms of barometric pressure, and the strongest in terms of 1-minute sustained winds.
On 22 February the system moved parallel to the Pilbara coast. Varanus Island recorded of rainfall and the highest wind gust recorded in the area was at Bedout Island. The system became more organised and on 23 February the record rainfall amount of was recorded at Barrow Island. The strongest gusts of recorded at Varanus Island. The cyclone crossed the North West Cape and lashed Onslow and Exmouth with high winds up to and rain.
On April 2, 1973, the second strongest surface wind gust ever recorded in the United States of America was measured by University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers on the summit. Although wind velocity maxima were measured at , this reading represents the physical limit of the recording instrument, and thus the true value may have been quite higher. Only the record value measured on nearby Mount Washington in 1934 exceeds this value in terms of American wind extrema.
Winds: Average annual wind velocity is 4.43 m/s; Easterly winds have the fastest average velocity, averaging 6.51 m/s. Strongest (steady) wind recorded was a WNW blowing at 33 m/s, on 3 January 1986. Winds over category 7 are observed for 1–7% of the year. Predominant winds are:
The extratropical remnants of Nanmadol brought record breaking rainfall and winds to Japan. A station in Shishikui, Tokushima received of rain, the highest amount documented in the country. Several other stations recorded rainfall totals in excess of . Maximum sustained winds clocked at 88 km/h (55 mph) in Chiba, Chiba and Ojima, Tokyo, were the strongest ever recorded in December for those locations. The same station in Chiba clocked a wind gust at 176 km/h (109 mph), another record for the month of December and the highest reported wind gust in Japan from Nanmadol's remnants. A 145 km/h (90 mph) wind gust was recorded in Tokyo; this gust broke the record for the strongest gust recorded in the city since record-keeping began. Offshore Kagoshima Prefecture, a ferry capsized in rough waters, killing five. The captain of the ferry was later charged with professional negligence. In Aomori Prefecture, widespread power outages resulted from the strong winds. Heavy rains in Aichi Prefecture flooded several roads and damaged fisheries and agricultural land. One person was injured there, and damage totaled JP¥69.8 million (US$680,000).
Gonzalo generated hurricane-force winds across Bermuda over a period of about six hours, at their strongest from the northwest on the backside of the storm. Tropical storm conditions persisted for up to 24 hours. Elevated weather stations observed the highest winds; Commissioner's Point recorded 10-minute sustained winds of , and St. David's measured gusts as high as . Gusts reached at the Causeway, closer to sea level. The airport recorded of rain, but due to the strong winds, this was most likely an underestimation of what actually fell. The passage of the hurricane's eye was marked by diminished winds and a lack of rain, but a drizzle of ocean mist reportedly fell over the island. As Gonzalo struck at low tide, the effects of storm surge were minimal. At Esso Pier on the north side of the island, storm tides peaked at above normal.
Hurricane Michael was the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane to make landfall in the United States in terms of pressure, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane and Hurricane Camille of 1969, as well as the strongest Atlantic hurricane to form in the month of October since Hurricane Wilma. It was also the strongest storm in terms of maximum sustained wind speed to strike the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992. In addition, it was the strongest storm on record in the Florida Panhandle, and was the fourth-strongest landfalling hurricane in the contiguous United States, in terms of wind speed.
The strongest winds in a northern hemisphere tropical cyclone is located in the eyewall and the right front quadrant of the tropical cyclone. Severe damage is usually the result when the eyewall of a hurricane, typhoon or cyclone passes over land. The right front quadrant is also an area of a tropical cyclone were the winds are strongest. The reason that the winds are at the front right side of a storm in the northern hemisphere (and the front left hand side in the Southern Hemisphere) is because of the motion of a tropical cyclone contributing to its rotation. A 100 mph hurricane while stationary, might have winds of 100 mph on its right side in the northern hemisphere while the rest of the storm might have winds at 70 mph. The location of the right ( or left in the Southern Hemisphere) front quadrant also depends on the storm track. For example, in the northern hemisphere, if the storm was moving west, then the right side is to the north, if it moving north, then the strongest winds will be to the east of the center.
In the southern hemisphere, the strongest winds are to the left of the eye. That is because cyclonic winds below the equator, spin clockwise.