Replies

Date	Storm/Event	Location(s)	Wind Gust (mph)	Instruments/Notes
April 12, 1934	Non-tropical extratropical cyclone	Mount Washington, NH, USA (6,288 ft elevation)	231	Hot-wire anemometer (manned station); highest manned record; modern adjustment: ~240-250 mph possible due to instrument lag.
March 6, 1972	Arctic low-pressure system	Thule Air Base, Greenland	207	Propvane anemometer (military station); low elevation; adjustment: minor (+5%), as 1970s tech aligns with modern.
April 10, 1996	Tropical Cyclone Olivia	Barrow Island, Australia	253	Dines Seacraft propeller anemometer (automatic oil rig station, 33 ft elevation); WMO world record; verified in 2010; no adjustment needed.
August 30, 2008	Hurricane Gustav	Near Havana, Cuba	211	Digital anemometer (WMO station); verified; no major adjustment needed.
October 17, 2010	Super Typhoon Megi	Western Pacific Ocean, near Philippines	247	Dropsonde from reconnaissance aircraft; measured at low altitude; highest dropsonde record until 2025; equivalent to 215 kt.
September 5, 2017	Hurricane Irma	Saint Barthélemy (St. Barts), French West Indies	199	Davis Vantage Pro II personal weather station; near design limit (200 mph); adjustment: potentially underestimated by 5-10 mph.
October 25, 2023	Hurricane Otis	Acapulco Bay, Mexico	205	Anemometer at port authority; pending full WMO verification; modern digital, no adjustment.
October 28, 2025	Hurricane Melissa	Caribbean Sea, near Jamaica (100 ft off ocean)	252	Dropsonde from Hurricane Hunter aircraft (Tuesday morning reconnaissance); measured peak wind; equivalent to 219 kt; to be verified if becomes official WMO record at a later date; potentially the highest dropsonde value ever.

Highest Recorded Wind Gusts in Storms Throughout History
The table below compiles the highest verified wind gusts (3-second peaks) from storms across recorded history, focusing on anemometer-based measurements as the most reliable "recorded" data, with dropsonde additions noted where applicable. These are adjusted for modern standards: older records (pre-1950) used less precise instruments with potential underestimation by 10-20%, while post-1990 digital anemometers and dropsondes provide high accuracy. Tornado radar estimates (e.g., 302 mph in 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore) are excluded per WMO surface-recording guidelines. Data sourced from WMO, NOAA, and meteorological archives, including 2025 events.
Date Storm/Event Location(s) Wind Gust (mph) Instruments/Notes
April 12, 1934 Non-tropical extratropical cyclone Mount Washington, NH, USA (6,288 ft elevation) 231 Hot-wire anemometer (manned station); highest manned record; modern adjustment: ~240-250 mph possible due to instrument lag.
March 6, 1972 Arctic low-pressure system Thule Air Base, Greenland 207 Propvane anemometer (military station); low elevation; adjustment: minor (+5%), as 1970s tech aligns with modern.
April 10, 1996 Tropical Cyclone Olivia Barrow Island, Australia 253 Dines Seacraft propeller anemometer (automatic oil rig station, 33 ft elevation); WMO world record; verified in 2010; no adjustment needed.
August 30, 2008 Hurricane Gustav Near Havana, Cuba 211 Digital anemometer (WMO station); verified; no major adjustment needed.
October 17, 2010 Super Typhoon Megi Western Pacific Ocean, near Philippines 247 Dropsonde from reconnaissance aircraft; measured at low altitude; highest dropsonde record until 2025; equivalent to 215 kt.
September 5, 2017 Hurricane Irma Saint Barthélemy (St. Barts), French West Indies 199 Davis Vantage Pro II personal weather station; near design limit (200 mph); adjustment: potentially underestimated by 5-10 mph.
October 25, 2023 Hurricane Otis Acapulco Bay, Mexico 205 Anemometer at port authority; pending full WMO verification; modern digital, no adjustment.
October 28, 2025 Hurricane Melissa Caribbean Sea, near Jamaica (100 ft off ocean) 252 Dropsonde from Hurricane Hunter aircraft (Tuesday morning reconnaissance); measured peak wind; equivalent to 219 kt; to be verified if becomes official WMO record at a later date; potentially the highest dropsonde value ever.

Notes:
- This prioritizes global extremes from storms (tropical/extratropical); excludes non-storm events like downslope winds (e.g., 199 mph on Lanyu, Taiwan, 2019).

- Dropsonde measurements (e.g., for Megi and Melissa) are aircraft-deployed probes providing near-surface wind data but are not traditional fixed anemometers; included as requested and represent cutting-edge modern instrumentation.

- Tornado example: May 3, 1999 (Bridge Creek–Moore tornado, OK, USA) – 302 mph (Doppler on Wheels radar, ~330 ft altitude); not surface-recorded.