MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. (AP) — Meteorologists say a wind gust atop the Northeast’s highest mountain hit 171 mph (275 kph), setting a record for the month on a peak known for its extreme weather.
The gust Monday on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington beat the previous February wind record of 166 mph (267 kph) set in 1972. It was also the strongest wind recorded there in any month since 1985.
Staff members at the Mount Washington Observatory say the building rumbled and windows flexed from pressure changes as they gathered around equipment charting the gusts.
A 231-mph (371-kph) gust on the 6,288-foot (1,916-meter) mountain in 1934 remains the highest wind speed ever observed by man.