Mount Washington Gets Hurricane Force 275 km/h Winds

Meteorologists say a wind speeds on Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest mountain, hit 171 mph (275 km/h), the highest since 1985. The winds are comparable to a category five hurricane.

The New Hampshire mountain is known for its extreme weather, February of 1972 had gusts up to 166 mph. Staff at the Mount Washington Observatory say the windows flexed from pressure changes.

Meteorologist Tom Padham described the winds as “a constant low rumble, at least to the building” to New Hampshire Public Radio. “Then outside, it is absolutely a deafening roar.” A 231-mph (371 km/h) gust on the 1,916-metre mountain in 1934 remains the highest wind speed ever observed.

Incredible!!! New peak gust of 162 mph, and we may not be done with this storm! We're glued to the Hays Chart this evening! #category5 #mountwashington #mwobs #nhwx #presidentialrange

A post shared by Mount Washington Observatory (@mwobs) on Feb 25, 2019 at 2:41pm PST

The clouds rolled in just for a few moments on the ridge yesterday. #mountwashington #visitnh #hikethewhites #wmnfhikers #newhampshire #nemguides #getoutside

A post shared by Cait Bourgault (@photocait) on Feb 24, 2019 at 3:59am PST