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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I hope the "SUPER VOLCANO" theory isn't true.
I know... that Discovery channel or NG "armaggedon" simulation show I watched a few years back scared the bejeepers out of me. I think they still run it now and then.
The Caldera Theory of wiping out civilisation?
It's true; it's happened before. Toba Caldera wiped out a large portion of humans many thousands of years ago.
By Futuremet
The weather is relatively calm, and should remain so over the next 12 hours or so, as a weak adjacent anticyclone suppresses any substantial vertical motion in the air. Frontolysis is currently occurring near a deformation zone near the southern States (100-80W 25N), and will continue to weaken as it moves further south. The elongated front is decaying primarily because of high upper level winds, and a lack of energy because the parent synoptic low is too weak to support it. The humidity and the temperature gradient are very significant, and therefore inadequate to be substantial lifting mechanism to cause enough instability for copious precipitation over the southern states. This front is expected into the Florida peninsula later today, and should slightly decrease the temperatures over night. During the day Thursday, winds should be blowing from the Northeast, causing cool comfortable conditions. Now when the cool northeasterly winds blow across the warmer Atlantic and gulfstream waters, stratocumulus clouds will begin to form due to the instability. Water (especially salt water) has a higher specific heat capacity than a parcel of air, thus, it takes more energy to alter the water’s temperature, and less to alter air temperature. When the cooler air is contact with the warmer water, the surface air which is contact with it warms by conduction and convection. The warmer air will then expand (become less dense), rise, condense, and cool adiabatically. Depending on how significant the temperature gradient is, the clouds formed can have sufficient water to produce rain or other types of precipitation. Furthermore, Lake Effect Snow may be used as a quintessence for this, since the mechanisms are similar. Overall, the chance of rain should be about 30 percent Thursday with cloudy skies.
Link
Later on…
Subsequent to the arrival of the front, a vigorous high pressure system is expected to build over much of the eastern U.S. about 48 hours from now. This ridge will provide comfortable conditions for the rest of the week, and much of next week. About 90 hours from now, a synoptic low is expected to move into the Midwestern U.S. This system is quite fragile, and will rapidly degenerate as it moves eastward. As the cyclone degenerates, the front associated with it will weaken and become elongated, reaching all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. Now, cyclogenesis was already occurring at the Bay of Campeche, before the cyclone moved into the Midwest. And when the elongated remnant trough becomes associated with the developing low in the western Gulf, the cyclogenesis precess hastens, and the developing cyclone deepens rapidly. Albeit the computer models are forecasting this system to be as strong than a couple of days ago, it might still bring some severe weather to some areas in the southern U.S. When the cyclone gradually moves into the U.S, it will begin to acquire more mid latitudinal characteristics, as it forms its own baroclinic zone, and then frontogenesis will occur within that zone. The front associated with it will eventually move into Florida about 5-7 days from now. The front will likely be potent enough to amplify vertical motion in the air for convective storm development. The GFS model is expecting the CAPE values to be between 500-1500 J/kg as the front moves through the Florida Peninsula. Most the activity will be at the northern part Florida, the front will rapidly degenerate as it moves through the state. The temperature should go down too much after the front…so don’t worry lol.
First fully Tropical Storm in May since 1981; Arthur
Longest living tropical cyclone since 2005; Bertha
Earliest forming Cape Verde Hurricane; Bertha
First Category 2+ to hit the United States in 2 years; Dolly
3rd most costly Hurricane to hit Texas; Dolly
First system to hit Florida 4 times; Fay
First system to rapidly intensifiy over land; Fay
First test of levees in New Orleans; Gustav
Strongest wind gust every recorded in a Hurricane; Gustav
Deadliest Hurricane ever in the Atlantic since 2005; Hurricane Hanna
3rd most destructive Hurricane ever to hit USA; Ike
Most destructive Category 4 hurricane ever; Ike
Most destructive Hurricane to hit Texas; Ike
Largest Hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic; Ike
2nd highest rating on the IKE Scale; Ike
Rare Canadian Hurricane; Kyle
Smallest Tropical cyclone on record; Marco
First hurricane to move east to west in the Caribbean since Hurricane Lenny; Omar
2nd strongest November hurricane; Paloma
First time USA was hit with 6 Tropical cyclones in a row; Dolly, ED, Fay, Gustav, Hanna, Ike.
First time there were Major Hurricanes in 5 separate months; Bertha July, Gustav August, Ike September, Omar October, Paloma November
First time Cuba was hit by 3 Major Hurricanes in a year; Gustav, Ike, Paloma.
2 Billion, 21 dead. Dolly might very well be retired.
That makes me wonder about Tropical Storm Cristobal. I remember hearing that while the storm was basically off the coast most of it's existance I think there was a brief landfall on far eastern North Carolina. I guess that you and Dr. Masters maybe do not think of that as a "landfall" as I think the center of the storm technically did hit land. I'm just interested on why this storm is not counted, because that would then make it seven tropical cyclones in a row.
I agree Cristobal should be included as landfall or maybe landswiped?
Not wanting to start off '09 with that kind of a bang
But let her be done.
On to 2009 .
Happy New Year Dr. Masters and wunderblogger's all!......!
What a hellish year.
I'm going to watch the fireworks display at midnight.
I think there will be fireworks here but I'm not sure.
Yellowstone looks to be keeping everyone on their toes as we ring in 2009. The earthquake swarm reported earlier this week is continuing, with multiple events between 2-3.5 on the Richter Scale. Again, the folks monitoring the caldera - this time the Univ. of Utah - play down these events as normal for any active caldera system … and they’re very likely right. However, the media love to bring up the “supervolcano” angle and we’re even getting expert opinion from (wait for it) Garrison Keillor!. The earthquakes are just normal earthquakes so far - none of the dreaded/anticipated harmonic tremor that might indicate an eruption. This will likely mean that more gas and water monitoring will be occurring in the park in the coming weeks/months
from here
Link
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Auring | Kiko | Urduja
Bising | Labuyo | Vinta
Crising | Labuyo | Wilma
Dante | Nando | Yolanda
Emong | Ondoy | Zoraida
Feria | Pepeng
Gorio | Quedan
Huaning | Ramil
Isang | Santi
Jolina | Tino
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Wilma appears again...
Tropical Disturbance Bulletin
==========================
At 2:00 a.m. PhST, A Low Pressure Area was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 500 kms East of Northern Mindanao 9.0°N 131.0°E.
The formation of a Low Pressure Area and possible development into a tropical cyclone in the coming days will affect Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. This weather disturbance will bring frequent rains over Northern Mindanao, Eastern Visayas beginning tomorrow, and onwards over the rest of Mindanao, rest of Visayas, Southern Luzon and the eastern section of Central Luzon.
Taz you sly dog you got the first post on GMT time of 2009.
As always this seasons going to sneak up out of us
BahaHurican
I'm gone to Junkanoo. Maybe I will look in on the blog tomorrow!
When Ike rapidly intensified in the Atlantic to Category 4, and was forcasted to hit Florida as a Category 4, Dr Lyons even went as far and said a Category 5 Florida Landfall was possible.
Tropical Cyclone Outlook
Region south of 10S and between 90E-110E
12:00 pm WDT January 1 2009
=============================================
A Tropical Low [Ex-Tropical Cyclone Billy] was located at 11am WDT near 14.8S 102.3E moving west at 15 kilometres per hour, but is expected to remain below
tropical cyclone intensity.
Tropical Cyclone Formation Potential
===================================
Friday: Low
Saturday: Low
Sunday: Low
TS Eduardo and Hurricane Ike not scary weather wise. Most scary weather event was most likely one of the times I was driving and a major line of thunderstorms came through and nearly blew me in my mid size SUV off the road that was only 2 lanes with borrow ditches on each side!
Happy New Year!
Be careful if you're out celebrating tonight! Have a good time though!
NO bad CANES in '09!!!
God bless! Be safe!
Well when Ike was forecast to hit here as a cat 4 (I thought for sure the house would get blow down these houses aren't like S. Floridian ones you know concrete and steel here they're made of wood)
but landed as a cat 2 I was still scared although I'm further inland (pearland, tx) I do have family and friends at the shorelines and the bay also I thought it might of been a cat 3 b4 landfall and if that were to happen I'm sure my patio door would have busted open (I live near a lake and the way my house and neighbors are the most concentrated winds were coming from the back of the house and the door was leaking alot of rain water top and bottom plus I could hear wind coming from it also I failed to mention the huge windows in the living room and the smaller but numerous set of them in the masters bed I have in the back as well)
weatherblog ~i don't think that was eye on land & there certainly wasn't any TS force winds recorded on land.
Ike for sure for me when the NHC/models forecasted it to hit South Florida as a category 4. I was scared out of my mind at that time. There were already talks of evacuations and were only in the 5-day cone. Luckily, the cone kept moving farther and farther south until we were out of it. That could've been Wilma or possibly even Andrew part II for Florida.
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