How does 191-mph gust at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, compare to world wind records?

The NWS in Honolulu points out via email that a 217 mph gust was measured during Hurricane Iniki in 1992, but the reading wasn't verified. I have added that to my master list below.

So again, if verified, the 191 mph gust could be a new state record.

UPDATE: Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina just set a new wind record of 121 mph last night! Also, the potential Hawaii wind and snow records I wrote about before are only a couple examples of the extreme weather seen in Hawaii during the last year, including two new rainfall records and three hurricanes affecting the islands. Check out Capital Weather Gang's wrap-up.

A huge low pressure system moved over Hawaii last weekend, and the weather observatory on Mauna Keareported a 191-mph wind gust. I suspect that gust was from an equipment console, as the online graph showed winds of "only" 140 mph (it could have been sustained winds):

But the data looks good to me. One of the other observatories, Keck, said on Facebook:

At 13,802 feet, Mauna Kea is Hawaii's highest mountain. Snow is not unusual at the peak, especially in the winter, and it snowed there during this event, but the snow levels falling to 6,000 feet on the island of Maui is a new record. The description in the video below says

On Maui's Haleakala Summit at Mees Solar Observatory, winds only gusted to 81 mph, but 4-foot snow drifts were reported with a temperature of 20 degrees Fahrenheit! Although records aren't online, it's likely that was a new cold record for the summit. Capital Weather Gang says ditto for Mauna Kea, which fell to 12 below zero F!

The GOES-17 weather satellite showed snow on the summits the next day:

Waves were forecast to be over 60 feet and some locations and were observed to 38 feet at a buoy on the northern side of the island of Kauai:

We went live on AccuWeather with four Surfline.com wave webcams Sunday afternoon. By evening, power had gone out for over 30,000 people on the northern islands, cutting the feeds.

A total of 39 local storm reports were issued by NWS spotters, mostly for wind damage.

Ironically, the 191 report was just a day after Mount Washington, New Hampshire, reported 148 mph, their highest gust in 10 years.

Those two reports combined made me want to update my list of the highest wind gusts ever recorded (last updated in 2010):

• 318 MPH - Oklahoma City 1999 - Tornado, Above Ground, By Doppler Radar (NOT OFFICIAL)

• 286 MPH - Red Rock, Oklahoma Tornado 1991, Near Ground by Doppler Radar (NOT OFFICIAL)

• 253 MPH - Cyclone Olivia, 1996 in Australia (OFFICIAL WORLD RECORD)

• 236 MPH - Typhoon Paka 1997 on Guam, by Hot-Wire anemometer (DISPUTED)

• 231 MPH - Winter Storm 1934 at Mount Washington, (Official Land/Non-Tropical/N.Hemisphere Record)

• 217 MPH - Hurricane Iniki in Hawaii in 1992 (NOT VERIFIED)

• 211 MPH - Hurricane Gustav 2008 in Cuba (NOT VERIFIED)

• 211 MPH - Antarctica 2011 (NOT VERIFIED)

• 207 MPH - Winter Storm 1972 in Greenland (VERIFIED)

• 201 MPH - Winter Storm 1981 in Colorado (NOT VERIFIED)

• 200 MPH - Winter Storm in 2006 in North Carolina (DISPUTED)

• 200 MPH - 1970 in Sheep Mountain, Alaska (NOT VERIFIED)

• 200 MPH - Winter Storm 1973 in New Hampshire

• 199 MPH - Winter Storm in 2017 at Alpine Meadows, California (VERIFIED)

• 199 MPH - Hurricane Irma in 2017, (NOT VERIFIED BUT HIGHEST AMATEUR GUST KNOWN)

• 191 MPH - Winter Storm at Mauna Kea, Hawaii (see above)

• 190 MPH - Tropical Storm 1966 in Miyakojima (NOT VERIFIED)

• 186 MPH - Fall Storm in 2009 in Sheep Mountain, Alaska (NOT VERIFIED)

• 186 MPH - Lee Vining Hill, California (NOT VERIFIED)

• 186 MPH - Massachusetts 1938 - Hurricane, On Ground (Official Land Hurricane Record)

• 183 MPH - Winter Storm 2006 at Lee Vining Hill, CA (NOT VERIFIED)

Picking out only the

readings above, that list becomes:

• 253 MPH - Cyclone Olivia, 1996 in Australia

• 231 MPH - Winter Storm 1934 at Mount Washington

• 207 MPH - Winter Storm 1972 in Greenland

• 200 MPH - Winter Storm 1973 in New Hampshire

• 199 MPH - Winter Storm in 2017 at Alpine Meadows, California

• 186 MPH - Massachusetts 1938 - Hurricane

So, if the 191-mph gust were to be verified, it would be the highest wind gust in Hawaii and the sixth highest wind gust officially verified worldwide. Given the number of gusts above that weren't verified, however, it's unlikely this one will be.

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