The Mount Washington Observatory, situated at the top of New Hampshires Mount Washington, recorded wind gusts up to 161 miles per hour on Monday, February 17. The speeds are the highest daily peak gust seen on the mountain since February 25th, 2019, when they recorded gusts up to 171 miles per hour.
Throughout the afternoon, wind speeds were sustained between 125mph and 135mph, with gusts frequently reaching into the 140mph range. As the winds created a suction out of the building doors, the indoor barograph was literally off the charts.
Reaching 161mph puts these gusts as tied for the 19th highest daily since 1935. To reach into the top 10, gusts would have to reach 170mph.
The highest wind speeds ever recorded on Mount Washington were recorded on April 12, 1934. On that day, the Observatory measured what’s called “The Big Wind”, when a world-record (at the time) wind speed of 231 miles per hour was noted. That record would stand for over 60 years.
