Looking back at Hurricane Gustav's record 211 mph wind gust
As we look back at the weather events of 2008, perhaps the most impressive record set during the year occurred during Hurricane Gustav, which pounded Cuba as a Category 4 hurricane in August. Gustav set a new world record for highest wind gust ever measured in a hurricane. As Gustav passed over the Paso Real de San Diego meteorological station in the western Cuban province of Pinar del Rio, Cuba, on the afternoon of August 30, 2008, a wind gust of 211 mph (94.4 m/s) was recorded (it was originally pegged at 212 mph, but has been "downgraded" to 211 mph after an official review by the World Meteorological Organization). The powerful winds blew down the anemometer, and it is possible that higher gusts occurred after the instrument failed. Not only is this the highest wind speed ever measured in a hurricane, it is the second highest wind gust ever measured at a non-mountain location on Earth, and is the third highest wind gust ever measured on the surface of the planet. The highest wind gust in recorded history is the amazing 253 mph reading recorded on Barrow Island, Australia, during Tropical Cyclone Olivia in 1996. The second highest wind speed ever measured was 231 mph (370 km/hr) on the top of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, on April 12, 1934, during passage of an extratropical storm. The fourth highest wind gust on record was the 207 mph gust measured in Greenland at Thule Air Force Base on March 6, 1972. The previous highest wind gust measured in a hurricane was 186 mph at Blue Hill Observatory, Massachusetts, during the notorious 1938 "Long Island Express" hurricane.
Figure 1. Anemometer used to measure the record 211 mph gust in Hurricane Gustav. Gustav's powerful winds flattened the instrument against the roof of the observing station. Image credit: Jose M. Rubiera Torres, Instituto de Meteorologia of Cuba.
Is this a believable record?
The instrument used for the measurement in Gustav was a Dines pressure tube anemometer mounted on the roof of the weather office. According to Jose M. Rubiera Torres of Cuba's Instituto de Meteorologia, "The graph is neat and the instrument was in perfect technical working condition. The wind peaked up to 340 km/h and then the anemometer mast fell over the concrete roof of the station's building, sharply interrupting the measurement. The graph [Figure 2], shows that wind gusts were increasing at a regular pace with time, until the instrument broke down when it got to the 340 km/h mark." Dines anemometers have a proven track record of reliability, and have been used in Cuba for over 60 years. A formal committee under the auspices of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) certified the record in 2009.
Figure 2. Trace of the Dines anemometer used to measure the record 211 mph gust in Hurricane Gustav. Image credit: Jose M. Rubiera Torres, Instituto de Meteorologia of Cuba.
How did such a strong gust occur?
At the time Hurricane Gustav moved over the Paso Real de San Diego meteorological station, the storm was rated a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 mph, gusting to 185 mph. When the peak wind gust of 211 mph was measured at 22:35 GMT, the western eyewall of Gustav was over the anemometer site, as seen on Cuban radar (Figure 3). The town of Paso Real de San Diego is at an elevation of about 40 meters, and lies 25 km inland, about 12 km south of a rugged line of mountains up to 700 meters high. The counter-clockwise flow of air around Gustav's eyewall meant that the winds arriving at Paso Real de San Diego were forced to pass over these mountains first. The mountains probably focused and accelerated the winds through gaps between the peaks, and the air accelerated further as it rushed downhill under the force of gravity. Strong downbursts due to collapsing precipitation cores inside Gustav's eyewall probably contributed to the extreme gusts. When hurricanes make landfall, the intense thunderstorm cells that comprise the eyewall sometimes collapse suddenly, sending a downward cascade of intense winds to the surface. When this rush of wind hits the ground, it spreads out in all directions, forming a strong surface wind event known as a downburst. It has been theorized that some of the extreme damage noted in Florida during Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 may have been associated with downbursts from collapsing eyewall thunderstorm cells. This behavior may also be responsible for some of the extreme damage in Mississippi from Hurricane Katrina. Animations of infrared satellite imagery available from the University of Wisconsin CIMSS Satellite Blog show that the eyewall of Gustav collapsed during passage over the high mountains to the north of Paso Real de San Diego, but this occurred after the world record wind gust was measured.
Figure 3. Radar image of Hurricane Gustav (top) at 22:25 GMT on August 30 2008, five minutes before the world record 211 mph hurricane wind gust was measured. The site of the Paso Real de San Diego meteorological station where the record was set is marked with a red dot. A topographic map (bottom) shows the line of mountains up to 1200 meters high that lies just north of the town. The counter-clockwise flow of air around the eye of Gustav brought the strongest winds of Gustav across the mountain range then downhill to Paso Real de San Diego. Radar image credit: Instituto de Meteorologia of Cuba. Topographic map image credit: Wikipedia.
Note: this post was updated in 2010 to reflect the official WMO review of Gustav's wind gust, plus the addition of the new World Record wind gust set in TC Olivia in 1996.
Jeff Masters
Reader Comments
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MissNadia ... Lady
Surfmom ... Hysterical Landlubber
Floodman ... 20 Century
RTLSNK ... (pick something)
Presslord ... Jehovah Witness
Anyone see the pattern?
Hey... I think she deserves her own laptop.. I bought SWMBO'ed one.. it worked like a charm
Looks like a Glacier up here... is rained for a few days.. then went back to freezing temperatures.. you can barely break the surface of it. Damn dogs slide all over when you throw them.
ROFLMAO... that show was both good and hilariously cheesy at the same time...
SWFL Surfers .... good things come to those who wait,,, Well, IU'm getting SO impatient....Quiet Weekend, but swell is on the way/ -- looking like mid week. gulf temp
Ok, I recant my comments about the building practices of chicken houses in southern Miss. I am very surprised to find out that they would be anything other than shacks put together from scraps.
So which is built better, the chicken shacks or the houses in rural Mississippi? Should they evacuate to the chicken houses in the event of a severe wx warning?
(Sorry, the La native in me forces me to deride MS at least a little)
Bad day pickin up the dead~ they were everywhere. Yeah, that would be very uncool.
It clearly shows warming of the average global telephone number, I mean temperature, in the last 35 years or so. You cannot see that? Maybe I should ignore you, then.
(Severe case of tongue-in-cheek going on here!)
Once Had a major raccoon attack on our coop. Lordy, there were body parts everywhere too..... So I can imagine (numbers increased) the sight....it was a first time experience for me....little lesson in it as well
December 21,2012
Tropical Depression "AURING" has maintained its strength and continues to threaten Eastern Visayas.
Tropical Cyclone Bulletin #3
===============================
At 5:00 AM PhST, Tropical Depression Auring located at 10.0°N 126.7ºE or 120 kms east-northeast of Surigao City has 10 minute sustained winds of 25 knots.
Signal Warnings
===============
Signal Warning Number 1 (30-60 kph winds)
Visayas Region
------------
1. Northern Samar
2. Eastern Samar
3. Western Samar
4. Leyte
5. Southern Leyte
6. Biliran Island
7. Camotes Island
Mindanao Region
----------------
1. Surigao del Norte
2. Siargao Island
3. Dinagat Island
4.8 at 2047
5.1 at 2130
5.6 at 2149
5.2 at 2207
5.0 at 2223
7.5 at 2233
Link
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There is a planet that orbits the sun every 3600 years. This planet has been referred to as Planet X, which is what astronomers call planets that have not been named. The first real pictures Planet X were photographed shortly after January 26, 1983, when NASA launched the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). The astronomers calculated that Planet X was over 50 million miles away from us at that time. In 2004 Planet X was determined to be only 7 million miles away. It's moving closer. Confirmation of the tenth planet "Planet X" was taken in Japan on February 28, 2008. Planet X exists, and it will be here by the end of 2012. Planet X will appear as two suns in the sky to us, no later than 2011.
This five part video series will give you some more insight on what's happening in the cosmos, that will gravely effect the earth in the next few years
sure there is NOT
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I read somewhere that when Planet X will cause a Pole Shift because of its gravitational force. Thought yall might find it intresting...
Planet X is Real
That's what they want you to think ;P
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Do I look like an astronomer? lol
TSUNAMI ADVISORY
Issued at 10:08 JST 04 Jan 2009 (1:08am UTC)
******************Headline******************
Tsunami Attension has been issued.
IZU/OGASAWARA ISLANDS
TOKAI
PACIFIC COAST OF KINKI/SHIKOKU
SAGAMI BAY AND MIURA PENINSULA
*******************Text********************
Tsunami Advisory
*IZU ISLANDS
*OGASAWARA ISLANDS
SAGAMI BAY AND MIURA PENINSULA
*SHIZUOKA PREF.
PACIFIC COAST OF AICHI PREF.
*SOUTHERN PART OF MIE PREF.
*WAKAYAMA PREF.
*TOKUSHIMA PREF.
*KOCHI PREF.
At the following coasts (* marks) tsunamis are
expected to arrive right away.
IZU ISLANDS
OGASAWARA ISLANDS
SHIZUOKA PREF.
SOUTHERN PART OF MIE PREF.
WAKAYAMA PREF.
TOKUSHIMA PREF.
KOCHI PREF.
***********About Tsunami Forecast************
Tsunami height is expected to be about 0.5 meters, Pay attention to tsunamis.
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http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/Maps/US2/43.45.-111.-109_eqs.php
A bulge is often the start of a cone which indicates a pool of magma is forcing its way to the surface. It is unknown if this possible bulge is new, or if it is a re-activated bulge which was discovered in 1999 by USGS researcher Lisa Morgan.
I can just see it now -- we all be scrapping over GW and this thing will go Bang..,,,
a total redirection of think
I have been paying close attention to yellowstone latley and its making me increasingly nervous...
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