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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Hmmm, so I will be doing my 30th at their 50th and I turn 50 in a few months.. seems fitting.
Could you please expound on this - layman's terms if you please.
Thanking you in advance
Basically, what you're seeing there is a rather intense polar vortex centered just north of Hudson Bay.
Of course, since this is a 288 hour forecast it's very likely that this won't happen, but it is interesting to note how low those heights are.
Those iso's are ridiculous STL.
This is also bad news for those looking for cold and snow in the US beyond this period for a little bit. With the polar vortex so far north and so strong there'll be little shortwave troughiness to drag down that cold air. Also, such a strong vortex will also have a strong jet stream surrounding it, keeping that cold air locked up in Canada and allowing for maritime air form the Pacific to flood over the nation. Though, it does get rather cold in the East before this monster forms.
Theoretically - if this should happen
Does this mean that polar vortex would be so tightly wound, that it will be unable to spread south??
The cold will be more intense within the cyclone, but it would be somewhat contained??
Or am I not getting what you are saying at all (As I have said before - I do not hold the opinion that there are no stupid questions - so I do appreciate your tolerance)
You're getting it =)
Thanks!
This sounds like another season similar to 08 in some ways, especially in terms of numbers. It'll be interesting to see if the forecast starts to trend towards El Nino by the end of the year, or if it'll remain neutral throughout the season. (I'm sure this La Nina is also contributing to our wetter than average winter here in the Bahamas.)
What a load of crap.
Signed,
An actual card-carrying meteorologist with a MS ('S' stands for science)
Numbers compared against a sub-multidecadal time period (most any of your anomaly plots) are not scientific facts...they are statistical facts.
Statistical facts can show you anything you want them to.
If that persists, we could have a record size and duration of a NH ozone hole come February.
Enjoy!
Link
(I know Pottery had it, so I thought I'd post this. :))
Congrats Press....you've now joined me on STL's silly ignore list.
Fairbanks, Alaska (Airport)
Updated: 10 min 57 sec ago
Light Snow
-27 °F
Light Snow Mist
Windchill: -27 °F
Humidity: 62%
Dew Point: -36 °F
Wind: Calm
Pressure: 30.13 in (Falling)
Visibility: 3.0 miles
UV: 0 out of 16
Clouds:
Scattered Clouds 1800 ft
Mostly Cloudy 3500 ft
Mostly Cloudy 5500 ft
(Above Ground Level)
Elevation: 433 ft
Their forecast for Friday night.....Friday Night
Partly cloudy. Patchy ice fog. Lows 40 below to 50 below...except around 25 below in the hills. Light winds.
Cup #4.....er, so far!
Mavericks - Knarely !! Certainly stuff for the big boys.... Vort, you may want to sent that over to Baja... I believe she hails from that part of CA and would be interested.
Dog walking BBL
It is a Beautiful morning.
I should have stayed in the forest??
Good news on the Dengue fever mosquito.
Whats the plan today ??
Do you think the blog is ready for an article on global COOLING ????
Maybe it is too early with the time zone thing and all
She says that Persuasive conditioning is very powerful. If you suggest to people that all cats are black, in a persuasive manner, they will see black cats. Even if a white cat, carrying a sign that says "black cat" passes by, these people will see a black cat.
It reminded me of the current GW debate.
I know all about that...my wife sez supper was good...supper was good!!!!LOL
Well, I slept under an extra blanket last night. So yeah, I am all for that.
The Planet cooled very substantially here, at my house, at about 2:27 am this morning. It has warmed up quite a bit since then. But it certainly felt like a trend for a while there. LOL
heheheheheh
What are your normal temp. ranges during the winter?
A rare, cold early morning can get down to 68F, at this time of year.
Mid day temps will be between 80F and 95 F, purely dependent on cloud cover.
Dry season is usually Dec to May. Winds are more northerly, drier, Hot.
Rainy season is very much more humid, ITCZ conditions. Often very little wind.
Dec. to Feb is the nicest "climate" . Relatively cool, trees are still green, and not too humid. After Feb. the humidity goes right down, trees lose leaves, hot dry wind, fires, smoke, dust etc.
Thanks
I am surprised the humidity drops so much on an island.
I have to leave...cat to the Vet in a few...thanks for your time. LOL
Next Wednesday could get as low as -14C... (That's like 6F.)
Brr brr brr. It's going to be absolutely freezing for the considerable future it so far appears. Hoping it changes...
Do we get a trophy..or a plaque...or something to commemorate the honor?
I didn't even disagree with him...I posted a news story ABOUT someone who disagreed with him...
Yup, he sent me a plaque. Be careful though...he sent mine C.O.D.
He goes over-the-edge on...I can't even type it again. Dude is obsessed with it.
After the mild weeks we've had in FL it should be getting rather cold and a bit wetter the next week to week and a half.
Storms that WILL retire
Gustav, and Ike
Storms that are likely to retire
Hanna, and Paloma
Storms that might retire
Dolly, Fay, and Omar
anyone disagree?
I would say:
Storms that WILL be retired:
Ike and Gustav
Storms that will likely be retired:
Dolly, Fay, Hanna, Paloma (I might have some doubts on Fay and Paloma)
Storm that might be retired:
Omar
The Warm Turns
By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Tuesday, December 30, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Climate Change: The Earth has been warming ever since the end of the Little Ice Age. But guess what: Researchers say mankind is to blame for that, too
As we've noted, 2008 has been a year of records for cold and snowfall and may indeed be the coldest year of the 21st century thus far. In the U.S., the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration registered 63 local snowfall records and 115 lowest-ever temperatures for the month of October.
Global thermometers stopped rising after 1998, and have plummeted in the last two years by more than 0.5 degrees Celsius. The 2007-2008 temperature drop was not predicted by global climate models. But it was predictable by a decline in sunspot activity since 2000.
When the sun is active, it's not uncommon to see sunspot numbers of 100 or more in a single month. Every 11 years, activity slows, and numbers briefly drop near zero. Normally sunspots return very quickly, as a new cycle begins. But this year, the start of a new cycle, the sun has been eerily quiet.
The first seven months averaged a sunspot count of only three and in August there were no sunspots at all — zero — something that has not occurred since 1913.
According to the publication Daily Tech, in the past 1,000 years, three previous such events — what are called the Dalton, Maunder and Sporer Minimums — have all led to rapid cooling. One was large enough to be called the Little Ice Age (1500-1750).
The Little Ice Age has been a problem for global warmers because it serves as a reminder of how the earth warms and cools naturally over time. It had to be ignored in the calculations that produced the infamous and since-discredited hockey stick graph that showed a sharp rise in warming alleged to be caused by man.
The answer to this dilemma has supposedly been found by two Stanford researchers, Richard Nevle and Dennis Bird, who announced their "findings" at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. According to them, man not only is causing contemporary warming. He also caused the cooling that preceded it.
According to Bird and Nevle, before Columbus ruined paradise, native Americans had deforested a significant portion of the continent and converted the land to agricultural purposes. Less CO2 was then absorbed from the atmosphere, and the earth was toasty.
Then a bunch of nasty old white guys arrived and depopulated the native populations through war and the diseases they brought with them. This led to the large-scale abandonment of agricultural lands. The subsequent reforestation of the continent caused temperatures to drop enough to bring on the Little Ice Age.
Implicit in this research is that the world would be fine if man wasn't in the way. We either make the world too cold or too hot, a view held by many in high places.
In a speech at Harvard last November, Harvard physicist John Holden, President-elect Obama's choice to be his science adviser as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, presented a "top 10" list of warming solutions.
Topping the list was "limiting population," as if man was a plague upon the earth. This is a major tenet of green dogma that bemoans the fact that the pestilence called mankind comes with cars, factories and overconsumption of fossil fuels and other resources.
R. Timothy Patterson, professor of geology and director of the Ottawa-Carleton Geoscience Centre of Canada's Carleton University, says: "I and the first-class scientists I work with are consistently finding excellent correlations between the regular fluctuations of the sun and earthly climate. This is not surprising. The sun and the stars are the ultimate source of energy on this planet."
Indeed, a look at a graph of solar irradiance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows little solar activity during the Little Ice Age and significant activity during recent times.
Don't blame Dick and Jane — blame sunspots.
Having never stated an opionion on "GW", I'm not convinced with the science that we are all the cause. I think that we have to look back over a longer period. It almost strikes me as arrogance to believe that we are that important in the scheme.
Gotta agree with you there zoomiami
This is not to say that there are not plenty of valid reasons to avoid polluting our world and to conserve resources.
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