The movement of air across the Earth’s surface, known as wind, is an atmospheric process driven primarily by differences in air pressure. Air naturally flows from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, and the speed of this flow is directly proportional to the steepness of the pressure gradient. Understanding where the most powerful winds occur in the United States requires distinguishing between a single record-breaking gust and locations that maintain consistently high average wind speeds.
Identifying the Windiest Location
The location that holds the record for the highest measured wind speed in the United States is the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. On April 12, 1934, the Mount Washington Observatory recorded an astonishing peak gust of 231 miles per hour (mph). This measurement was the world record for a directly observed surface wind speed for 62 years, until it was surpassed by a tropical cyclone in Australia in 1996. The record still stands as the highest wind speed ever measured by an instrument not associated with a tornado or a tropical cyclone. The summit of Mount Washington experiences hurricane-force winds, which are 75 mph or greater, an average of 110 days per year.
Meteorological Drivers of Extreme Wind
The exceptional wind speeds on Mount Washington are a result of a rare combination of geographic and meteorological factors. The mountain’s prominence, at 6,288 feet, makes it the highest peak in the northeastern U.S. This height allows the peak to be exposed to air currents that are largely unaffected by surface friction, which typically slows wind closer to the ground.
The topography of the surrounding Presidential Range creates a funneling effect, channeling prevailing westerly winds directly toward the summit. This geographic feature, combined with the mountain’s height, causes the air to be squeezed between the mountain peak and the tropopause, which is the boundary layer of the atmosphere above. This compression of the airflow results in an acceleration of the wind speed, a phenomenon known as the Venturi Effect. Furthermore, Mount Washington sits at the confluence of three major storm tracks, ensuring it is frequently impacted by severe low-pressure systems that generate strong pressure gradients, driving high-speed winds.
The Windiest Cities and Regions
While Mount Washington claims the record for the highest gust, the windiest populated areas are determined by high average annual wind speeds. The Great Plains and certain coastal regions consistently rank as the windiest areas in the lower 48 states.
Dodge City, Kansas, is frequently cited as one of the windiest cities, owing its status to the flat, unobstructed topography of the Great Plains. The flat terrain offers little resistance, allowing winds sweeping off the Rocky Mountains to maintain high speeds across the plains. Amarillo, Texas, located in the Texas Panhandle, experiences similar conditions, with strong average wind speeds due to persistent low-pressure systems and westerly winds. Unlike the mountain record, these high average speeds are a result of consistent, strong air movement rather than rare, extreme gusts.
How Wind Speed is Measured and Recorded
Wind speed is primarily measured using an instrument called an anemometer, which is essential for collecting accurate data. The most common type is the cup anemometer, featuring three or four cups mounted on a vertical spindle, where the rate of rotation is converted into a wind speed measurement. Modern weather stations also utilize propeller anemometers or advanced sonic anemometers, which use ultrasonic sound pulses to measure wind speed without any moving parts.
Meteorologists differentiate between sustained wind speed and wind gusts, a distinction that is crucial when recording extreme events. Sustained wind speed is the average speed over a set period, typically two minutes in the U.S., while a wind gust represents a sudden, brief peak in speed, often measured as a three-second average. Extreme weather locations, like Mount Washington, require specialized, often heated, instruments to prevent icing from interfering with the measurements, ensuring the integrity of the data collected.