Hurricane Gustav's +200 mph winds

When Hurricane Gustav passed over Cuba last August, the anemometer there was blown away by a 212 mph wind gust. If the data verifies it would be the fastest wind speed ever recorded in a hurricane!

Jeff Masters reports on his "Wunder Blog" that this could also be "the second highest wind gust ever measured on the surface of the planet." The current record is 231 mph recorded in April 10, 1934 at the Mount Washington weather observatory in New Hampshire.

The 212 mph wind gust in Gustav was recorded not along the coast, but in Paso Real de San Diego, about 15 miles inland. While the mountains in western Cuba probably helped funnel and accelerate the wind. Jeff explains, "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."

We've always known the strongest, most destructive winds in a hurricane occur within the eyewall. That's what hit Houston during Hurricane Ike. "Hotspots" on the radar within the eyewall could signal a more intense downburst within the band of fierce winds.