Weather Whys: Record wind gust in California

 

On Sunday the wind was extremely strong along the West Coast. California reported high waves and tree damage thanks to the wind and in the mountains it was even worse. At 7:45 a.m. February 9 a weather station on Kirkwood Mountain, a popular ski spot, recorded a wind gust of 209 mph. But before the wind gust goes down in the record books it has to be verified. The current record for wind gust in California is 199 mph on Ward Mountain set on February 20, 2017.

It will takes weeks and maybe even months for the National Weather Service and World Meteorological Organization to verify the equipment. The NWS has already doubted the report since there seems to have been other problems with the weather station at the time of the report.

Even if the wind gust is verified, it still wouldn't be the strongest wind gust recorded in the nation. That honor currently lies on the east coast. Mount Washington, NH recorded a wind gust of 231 mph on April 12, 1934. It held the honor of the strongest gust in the world until 1996 when Barrow Island, Australia recorded a wind gust of 253 mph during Typhoon Olivia.