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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,,Pssssst! Link
What is standby power waste?
When appliances such as VCRs, DVDs and cell phone chargers are plugged into the wall, they consume energy even when the product is not in use. Consumers often believe that their appliance is off, when in fact it is standing by and still consuming power.
For example, when you turn off a VCR with a remote control, it continues to consume energy in the standby or sleep mode because the power supply inside the VCR is still on, powering the remote control receiver. Even though the remote control receiver consumes very little power (approximately 0.1 W), power supplies that use inefficient technology such as linears, are not smart enough to reduce consumption during the standby state and end up wasting several watts of power. This is what we refer to as standby power waste.
We find your Lack of Faith..Disturbing
Yes uplugging appliances does save you money infact, leaving a flatscreet tv pluggd in even when its off can burn more energy than your Washing Machine
as far as the rumored "runaway effects", it can't happen, you dolts. assuming the CO2 hypothesis is correct (which it is not), the more energy that is transferred to the land or the water results in evaporation which, in turn, results in heat transport to the upper reaches of the atmosphere. the more evaporation that occurs, the more energy that is transported to the upper levels of the atmosphere and ultimately space. it's simple thermodynamics...but of course, most of the "believers" have never taken a thermodynamics course, let alone three.
and, 499, it doesn't...no matter how many appliances you unplug, you won't see a substantial difference until you unplug the heater and the a/c. but, if you do, at least you can call yourself "green"...whoopiee!!!
one final thing...what "runaway" effects are you referring to? to record low arctic sea ice? obviously that occurs when the temperatures are at a record hign...Link
oh, wait...then it must be glacial retreat...NOT
Link
of course, a myriad of other unsubstantiated claims is what you will base your opinion on...maybe (probably not) another Maunder Minimum or worse will jar you to your senses...but I doubt it...that would be going against the Lord Gore and his Great Anthropological Global Warming religion....
good day...
I don't really think I'm changing much. Of the billions of people that walk this planet, CO2 concentration has only gone up ~107ppm from pre-industrial times.
However, are you not tired of being the scapegoat for the GW crisis? It seems the entire world has placed the onus on the US and its citizens for the GW problem, eventhough we've only marginally emitted more CO2 than say, the EU. We're talking less than 5 percentage points out of the whole...
Why? Because we refused to sign a treaty that many other countries signed. A treaty that wasn't held up by 80% of the signatories but meanwhile those countries continue to berate the US over our CO2 emissions.
Truthfully, I'm sick of it.
Yes, unplugging my appliances will do little to atmospheric CO2 concentration. The entire country following the 'unplug while not in use' method may only reduce CO2 output fractionally. But it's still a wasteful practice to leave everything plugged in and you'd save some money on your electricity bill.
I think you're very wise, aggie. I know you've taken college level courses and have a degree in your field of study. But as high of an education many of us will achieve, nothing is worth more than having good common sense.
I don't feel guilt over being American or using more energy than most of the world does. But I do feel a responsibility to this planet in which we live and I also would like to keep it in pristine conditions. Part of doing that is keeping more money in my pocket and less money in pockets of those that care very little about this planet i.e. NYSEG (our electric company)
Regardless of how one feels about GW, one must conclude that the methods employed by those that produce energy are less than ideal to the health of this planet. Strip mines, mountain clearing, diverting rivers with dams, etc.
All this disrupts the harmonious balance that has existed before our reworking of the Earth, global warming aside.
if you have programmable thermostats and the minimum temperature they reach during the summer is 75 (which is not all that comfortable by my measure), how is that not "green"?
if one looks to minimize electricity consumption by optimizing freezer, refrigerator, and a/c thermostat settings, how is that not "green"?
if a family would like to convert to wind/solar even with meager government subsidies but decides it's not feasible, how is that not "green"?
IHMO, this whole "green" bullsheet has gotten out of control and no longer has a basis in reality. the disconnect between what households would "like" to do and what households can "afford" to do has grown larger in my lifetime.
imho, come up with a vastly improved battery and you solve everyone's problems...not a small order indeed.
finally, i'm sick and tired of the term "green" and find myself accelerated in the opposite direction as those "green" products proposed.
maybe green means this....Shocker: Solar panel manufacturing creates potent GHG’s
or this Scientists warn Christmas lights harm the planet
but, hey....don't let data get in the way...it hasn't in the past!
Futuremet~ Glad to see you give it another try & to Sullivanweather~ High five..
Pearl~ I'll take the word of NOAA who is currently working in corrilation with anyone, including cruise liners to gather all the info about what is out there today & what it could handle.. Their latest findings..
The study supports other findings that ocean acidification is likely to reduce coral reef growth to critical levels before the end of this century unless humans significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions. While ocean chemistry across the region is currently deemed adequate to support coral reefs, it is rapidly changing as atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise.
Heck with batteries.. tie into the grid. Heat of the day sun can be running the AC & cooking dinner. Some electric companys will pay you for extra power produced from your panels that you didn't use. Germany is so far ahead of us here it is sad.
You'd be amazed how much a few low end hurricanes will unseal a house. Most homes $60 in caulk applied is like closing a 4'X4' hole in the wall. & yes I have done the appliance thing & figured savings. This house is ~$3000 a year cheaper to live in than it once was & my appliances are way better & save me more time, which is priceless. Nothing wrong with a free country & drive what you like. Besides the commuter car we have the most efficent truck I could find for my pony needs. Insentives for the car companys to improve on this would be sweet as I'd rather drive the vehicle I like for as little as possible without polluting.
Did you read Hansen's plan? Tax everything that produces CO2. Take the money & split it evenly between citizens (& only up to 2 kids counts so no extras for overpopulating). The govt & companies gets none. Citizens get a monthly check from citizens paying taxes on goods. Citizens that buy local & commute in low impact ways pay less to no taxes so they profit at the end of the month. Illegal aliens pay taxes but recieve no refund, so insentive to be legal. People would buy from local farmers, creating jobs & would be much healther in many ways. Local goods also become a desired commodity, creating jobs. Companies would have to compete to be green for business. It would incourage people to live substainably without taking away freedoms. As people & products green up less taxes are payed & the monthly check is lower but people would be living cheaper too.
Link
There have been 2 recent articles in the Times-Picayune regarding Global Warming. While I agree with 80% of what the authors said, they continue to buy into the THEORY that CO2 is the driver of our current warm CYCLE. I have a hard time with that since 1) CO2 is a trace GW gas (less than 2% while WATER VAPOR is the biggest, by volume, (96%) GW gas) and 2) 1998 was the warmest year and the Earth has seen 10 years in a row less hot (2008 included). If CO2 levels continue to grow, the THEORY says the Earth will get hotter, but that's not what's happening. Sea level rises are far less than computer models predicted. Ice has reformed sooner & faster and thicker across the Arctic this winter. What could be happening? Is the warming CYCLE over? My guess is yes, but the GOVERNMENT scientists that need more research funding will continue to drink the cool-aid backing CO2 being the driver of GW. Only after we have several more harsh winters like this one back to back will the tide change.
Credit to Bob Breck
LOW [1008 HPA] NEAR 13.0S 92.0E
(is Billy going for a second name... since if it reforms it CAN'T use the name Billy in the Southwest Indian Ocean?)
got a 70 percent on that quiz.. took it early in the morning. =P
Mozambique Tropical Low.. not too bad.
Good morning surfmom,
I have just put the coffee on, and I am warming up my scroll button
I scrolled back to where I left off last night.
Indeed the discussion was quite lively.
About 32F here... the low forecast is about 20F. :(
Does Press have his Blood pressure under control yet? Ha Ha
Say, what part of England are you in?
But of course, we Charlestonians are always in control! :)
Currently, Lancashire.
I'll check it out.
GW or no GW, you need help.
Don't get him started this early!!!!!LOL
I was the d*** denialist who thinks he is soooooooooooooooooo smart
His debate skills may be a bit lacking. I would say his heart is in the right place, but ....
Miss Nadia is right though, we probably should not get it going again.
He's got me on ignore anyway, which is what I should do with him.
...
Wild Card Weekend! :D
This may sound crazy but anyone else feel "warm" since the second week of December 08 or is it just me? (I'm not talking about GW)
How long is this "warm period" gonna last b4 we get some cooler air?
PS I live near Houston
PSS I really wanna know about today's and a 5 day outlook weather patterns in the US and not GW
TIA
Now I have really had it - you won't be seeing me reply anymore from now on, forever.
Good.
You are referring to American Football, right?
Carolina Panthers lost to the Giants in a real nail biter at the Giants home (a couple of weeks ago)- Some are wondering how much that bitter cold had to do with it. (Their thinking being that Panthers would not be as accustomed to the extreme cold)
Not sure that I agree the weather was the determinate factor. I think it was home court advantage.
Weather certainly matters in many battles - Think "Waterloo"
the weather forecast calls for mid 40 degree temps here (as lows) which is not cold IMO but then again maybe I should move more north BTW the temps are up there (Ex: -28 F) LOL!
PS I really miss that day it snowed in SE Texas and Louisiana that was a good one
I am indeed. Confident my Ravens'll beat the Phins (again) this weekend. Amazingly, it looks like the Ravens are actually the most complete team in the AFC...
(Pitt and Ten have worse offenses than we do, SD and Indy aren't very good on D and Miami is a lesser version of us.) Never thought I'd see that.
I'm predicting a Ravens-Panthers SB btw. ;)
In any case the French and Spanish in a coordinated effort planned to attack the settlement at Charles Towne (Charleston). However, they were foiled by weather - a hurricane blew them off course.
Weather matters
I will second that prediction.
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