Severe Thunderstorm Wind Speeds

[Jonathan Eakins]

Going through severe warnings, I became curious as to what the highest wind mentioned in a severe thunderstorm warning you have all seen. Here, in Northern Indiana, it was 6/23/2010.

* AT 824 PM EDT/724 PM CDT/...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR
INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
EXTREME DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 90 MPH.

 

[James Hilger]

I do remember this storm (Derecho) producing 85+ winds in Bentonville Ar..

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 388
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1135 AM CDT FRI JUN 12 2009

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

MUCH OF ARKANSAS
PARTS OF NORTHERN MISSISSIPPI
PARTS OF EASTERN OKLAHOMA
PARTS OF WESTERN TENNESSEE

EFFECTIVE THIS FRIDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1135 AM UNTIL 700
PM CDT.

...THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION...

EXTREMELY DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 105 MPH...LARGE
HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE
POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS

 

[Patrick Marsh]

I seem to recall a situation in the early 2000s where storm motions in the warnings were approaching 100 mph. This was in northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, if I recall correctly. If the storm motions were this high, I'm willing to bet the forecast winds in the warnings were at least this high if not higher.