Wind gust of 171 mph recorded on Mount Washington sets record

February 25, 2019 11:00 pm • Last Updated: February 26, 2019 9:31 pm

In this March 10, 2015, file photo, a sign marks the snow-caked summit of the 6,288-foot Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Meteorologists said a wind gust on Monday, Feb. 25, 2019, atop the mountain hit 171 mph, setting a record for the month which beat the previous February wind record of 166 mph set in 1972. It also was the strongest wind recorded there in any month since 1985. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File)

MOUNT WASHINGTON, N.H. (AP) — Meteorologists say a wind gust atop the Northeast's highest mountain hit 171 mph, 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 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 gust on the 6,288-foot mountain in 1934 remains the highest wind speed ever observed by man.

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