Highest Wind Ever Observed by Man

Cog Railway 019, originally uploaded by MurphMutt.

The highest winds ever recorded by man (231 mph) was recorded at the Summit Observatory on Mt. Washington, NH April 12, 1934

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The Great Ice Storm of 2008 leaves an indelible mark on the residents of New Hampshire and north western Massachusetts to the degree that references are part of our daily dialog.

Those of us who lived here through the Great Ice Storm compare notes of where we were, the damage caused, what we did until the lights came back on, and in my case, how much damage remains to be cleaned up on our properties.

A few other meteorological events equal the ice storm. The Great Hurricane of 1938 reportedly twisted trees so badly throughout New England that the bark pattern spirals even yet today on trees that were saplings during the hurricane.

New Hampshire has another claim to meteorological fame in the weather observatory atop Mount Washington that recorded the highest wind speed ever recorded by man.

The 231 mile per hour wind speed occurred on April 12, 1934 or four years prior to the Great Hurricane and over 70 years prior to the Great Ice Storm.