Bit of random question for you all on here (which I'll also post the Weather and Climate group).

Just interested to know what the highest *sustained* (i.e. mean) wind you've seen is in and around the UK/Ireland. Doesn't have to be on land...

Cheers
Richard

Richard Dixon wrote:

Bit of random question for you all on here (which I'll also post the
Weather and Climate group).

Just interested to know what the highest sustained (i.e. mean) wind
you've seen is in and around the UK/Ireland. Doesn't have to be on
land...

Cheers
Richard

I've experienced 70+ knots on the Ocen Weather Ships, most probably
Station 'India'. I remember the needle on the anemometer dial was
hitting the 'stop' at 90 knots.

On land, I would guess that the highest measured wind was from the AWS
on Cairngorm but I have no idea what the value would have been. My
guess is that it would have been over 80 knots, perhaps over 90.

In more habitable areas I should think that over 70 knots has been
measured in the west of Scotland and perhaps around 80 knots but I'm
only guessing.

The averaging time used does, of course, come into it.

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
https://peakdistrictweather.org
Twitter: @TideswellWeathr

On Tuesday, January 23, 2018 at 4:34:53 PM UTC, Norman Lynagh wrote:
Richard Dixon wrote:

Bit of random question for you all on here (which I'll also post the
Weather and Climate group).

Just interested to know what the highest sustained (i.e. mean) wind
you've seen is in and around the UK/Ireland. Doesn't have to be on
land...

Cheers
Richard

I've experienced 70+ knots on the Ocen Weather Ships, most probably
Station 'India'. I remember the needle on the anemometer dial was
hitting the 'stop' at 90 knots.

On land, I would guess that the highest measured wind was from the AWS
on Cairngorm but I have no idea what the value would have been. My
guess is that it would have been over 80 knots, perhaps over 90.

In more habitable areas I should think that over 70 knots has been
measured in the west of Scotland and perhaps around 80 knots but I'm
only guessing.

The averaging time used does, of course, come into it.

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
https://peakdistrictweather.org
Twitter: @TideswellWeathr

I know Gwennap Head (nr Lands End) recorded 118mph with a mean speed of 70mph on 15 December 1979. I've got the actual figure somewhere.

The strongest 'official' UK gust is (according to the MetO) 150.3 knots (173 mph) recorded at Cairngorm Summit on 20 March 1986, so a mean speed of around 90 knots does seem quite likely.

Graham
Penzance

I've experienced 70+ knots on the Ocen Weather Ships, most probably
Station 'India'. I remember the needle on the anemometer dial was
hitting the 'stop' at 90 knots.


Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
https://peakdistrictweather.org
Twitter: @TideswellWeathr

I hate to imagine what that felt like! I suppose you get a used to it, but even so . . .

Graham
Penzance

On Tue, 23 Jan 2018 07:46:39 -0800 (PST)
Richard Dixon wrote:

Bit of random question for you all on here (which I'll also post the Weather
and Climate group).

Just interested to know what the highest *sustained* (i.e. mean) wind you've
seen is in and around the UK/Ireland. Doesn't have to be on land...


I've experienced 1 knot higher than what Graham says because my weather is
always better than his :-)

Seriously though, I don't know. However, I do know that on my first observing
shift on my own at RAF Finningley in 1970 I recorded a land gale with a mean
wind of 34 knots. Had to put a beaufort letter "g" in the remarks column. I
remember thinking at the time "my first gale", never officially recorded one
since. Strongest wind experienced here in Haytor was on Hay Tor summit in 2004
when I couldn't stand upright. Also on Mam Tor in the Peak District 2 years ago
when we were on our hands and knees walking on the ridge, so at least a force
10. I also remember Lerwick observatory in 1980 a severe gale force 9 meaning
circa 45 knots, locals called it a "wee breeze"!

Graham Easterling wrote:


I've experienced 70+ knots on the Ocen Weather Ships, most probably
Station 'India'. I remember the needle on the anemometer dial was
hitting the 'stop' at 90 knots.


Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
https://peakdistrictweather.org
Twitter: @TideswellWeathr

I hate to imagine what that felt like! I suppose you get a used to
it, but even so . . .

Graham
Penzance

Launching radio-sonde balloons was fun :-)

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
https://peakdistrictweather.org
Twitter: @TideswellWeathr

On Tuesday, 23 January 2018 15:46:41 UTC, Richard Dixon wrote:
Bit of random question for you all on here (which I'll also post the Weather and Climate group).

Just interested to know what the highest *sustained* (i.e. mean) wind you've seen is in and around the UK/Ireland. Doesn't have to be on land...

Cheers
Richard

Hi, Richard,
Great Dun Fell, Upper Teesdale recorded a mean hourly wind speed of 100mph(87KT) with max gust 130mph(113KT), I am reasonably certain that it was in January 1968.
Highest at Copley has been 10 minute mean speed 55mph(48KT) - just onto Beaufort 10
Ken
Copley
Teesdale

On Tuesday, 23 January 2018 16:34:53 UTC, Norman Lynagh wrote:

On land, I would guess that the highest measured wind was from the AWS
on Cairngorm but I have no idea what the value would have been. My
guess is that it would have been over 80 knots, perhaps over 90.
It was more than 99 knots. I know this because I used the data to test a SYNOP-to-BUFR converter I helped program.

--
Freddie
Fishpool Farm
Hyssington
Powys
296m AMSL
http://www.fishpoolfarmweather.co.uk/
https://twitter.com/FishpoolFarmWx for hourly reports

Thanks all for your comments. The reason why I ask is that I'm looking at some data from a remarkable 6000 year simulation (100 lots of 1951-2011) but we only have the 10 metre wind (not gust) from the model to look at. It's not at a resolution that I expect it to resolve the really, really intense narrow wind events but enough to get some fairly OK structure and wanted to sense-check against what may have been observed in the real world.

Richard

On 23/01/2018 16:48, Graham Easterling wrote:

I know Gwennap Head (nr Lands End) recorded 118mph with a mean speed of 70mph on 15 December 1979. I've got the actual figure somewhere.

Didn't one or two very exposed spots along the south coast scrape into
cat 1 hurricane territory (74mph sustained winds) during the October
1987 storm? So in that sense it really was a 'hurricane'.


--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl
Snow videos:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3QvmL4UWBmHFMKWiwYm_gg