Top 5 Windiest Places On The Planet

A gentle wind on our face is one of the best experiences we can have on the planet. However, turn up the regulator a bit more and your eyes will start to water off. A bit more force and you might easily topple or tumble or just get blown away. While not every day you experience gusty winds, there are times when there’s a sudden rush of high speed winds. And it’s not always due to a hurricane or storm. Wind patterns and local geographical characteristics may come together to create very strong winds. For your awareness, here’s a quick look at some of most windiest places on the planet.

Aviemore, UK – A popular Scottish ski resort town, Aviemore is home to Cairngorm Mountain. Its snowy summit is known to experience strong winds quite often. The highest recorded was 173mph (278km/h) in March 1986.

Mount Everest – Located 29,029 feet (8,848m) above sea level, Mount Everest is the ultimate challenge for adventure seekers. The higher sections of the mountain are known to experience unpredictable weather. The weather can turn nasty in the blink of an eye with snow storms and blizzards occurring quite frequently. The highest recorded wind speed at the summit of Mount Everest was 175mph (282km/h). This is the same range as that of a Category 5 hurricane.

Kirkwood, California – Popular for skiing and snowboarding during winters and hiking and mountain biking during summer months, Kirkwood Mountain Resort is located south of Lake Tahoe. The top of the mountain has been known to register very strong winds during winters. In February 2020, a strong gust of 209mph (336km/h) was recorded. This is the highest till date for the mountain. It is said to have caused around five-feet (1.5m) waves in the usually calm Lake Tahoe.

Mount Washington, New Hampshire – This is rated as the windiest place in United States. The mountain lies in the path of usual storm routes, which makes it quite windy. It experiences hurricane-force winds for more than 100 days in a year. The highest recorded was 231mph (372km/h) at the summit way back in 1934.

Barrow Island, Australia – On a normal day, you will find the wind at Barrow Island to be just perfect. The annual average wind speed is quite pleasant at 12mph (19km/h). But in April 1996, Barrow Island registered wind speed of 254mph (408km/h). The region itself was not having a storm, but was impacted by severe tropical cyclone Olivia. This is the highest non-tornadic wind speed ever recorded on the planet.