Mt Washington Observer's Comments:

10:24 AM Wed Apr 12, 2006 EST

On this day, 72 years ago, weather observers on Mount Washington recorded the highest wind speed on the surface of the earth, a record that stands to this day. The weather station at the summit is a in a way a tribute to the dedicated work of these early crews, but today, the data gathered here is perhaps more valuable than ever.

To read the story of how the world record wind was recorded, please follow
this link
.

How long will this record stand...our crew believes its only a matter of time before the wind rocks the summit again!

Thanks Bill thought you might enjoy this one:

On January 22, 1943.. At about 7:30am MST, the temperature in Spearfish was -4 degrees Fahrenheit. The chinook kicked in, and two minutes later the temperature was 45 degrees above zero. The 49 degree rise in two minutes set a world record that is still on the books. By 9:00am, the temperature had risen to 54 degrees. Suddenly, the chinook died down and the temperature tumbled back to -4 degrees. The 58 degree drop took only 27 minutes.

more details here

Just a couple months ago, 200mph+ winds were reported on Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. They couldn't get an exact measurement, because the anemometer stopped at 200. Grandfather gets into triple digits fairly often.

231 sounds pretty wild. Can't even imagine that.
-Mark

Better check the tent stakes one more time...

>>Morton said the most amazing effect of the winds late Tuesday and early Wednesday was the lifting of a 300-pound boulder in the parking lot of the Visitor Center, at the 5,280-foot level of the mountain -- about 700 feet below the summit. Gusts forced the boulder, which was cemented to the parking lot, to roll over.<<

1978 or so; Raking Leaves at GLAKES (Great Lakes Naval Base north of Chicago and right smack dab on the shore of Lake Michigan); temp around 60-65; short sleeves; gentle breeze starts; after 5-6 seconds gets a bit stronger - never real hard; then air temp gets colder; ONLY 10-15seconds later, temp is hovering around 32degF - all in ~20seconds MAX. Very weird. Never experienced anything like it before or after.

Mercy was shown, however, and since no one had jackets, including the P.O. in charge (viz., me), packed up the rakes and called it a day. It was self-preservation - I would have been the one treating the hypothermia, no doubt.

Edited by pj on 04/13/2006 19:26:20 MDT.

Hurricane Hugo. Charleston SC. Night. Two young nutball journalists. Eyewall returns. Idea. What's it like to try and walk in 135mph wind? Let's find out. Suit up in Level IIIa bulletproof vest, full alpine Marmot goretex suit. Afix Petzel climbing helment. Dash across parking lot holding hands for stability. Huddle next to large palm tree. Tree roots buck us up. Time to move. Wind too strong to stand up in. Must scurry bent over. Take new refuge beside a large car. Car moves over and bumps us. Highway speed limit sign w/ pole atached flies by like a giant dart and skewers a car hood. Time to flee. Who's up for Mt. Wash?