The summit of Mount Washington is home to some of the most brutal and intense weather on the planet. In the second year of the Mount Washington Observatory’s existence, it recorded world-record wind speeds of 231 miles per hour. That record no longer stands, but the “Big Wind” on April 12, 1934 is still the fastest wind speed ever recorded by a staffed weather station.
Wind speeds still reach unbelievable peaks at the mountain’s summit. Right now (November 8, just after 4pm ET) Mount Washington is experiencing winds around 81mph with gusts up to 93mph. Winds above 100mph aren’t uncommon, so the staff in the observatory put together a video showing what different high wind speeds feel like, and it’s pretty impressive.
According to the National Weather Service, wind speeds above 75mph are considered hurricane force. At those highest speeds, the wind can easily tear the roof off a house, uproot trees, or overturn small mobile homes. As you can see in the video, 100mph winds are easily strong enough to knock someone off their feet. Pretty wild to see.