GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN, NC – Early Wednesday morning, the wind gusted to 121.3 mph at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. That sets the record for highest wind gust at Grandfather, which is roughly a mile above sea level.
While it's not uncommon for the wind to howl up that high, a gust of this magnitude is. (The sensor is actually in a location that favors higher wind speeds, because the wind funnels in toward it.)
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121.3 mph, if sustained, would be equivalent to the wind speed measured at the center of a Category 3 hurricane!
As reported by the weather station at the Mile High Swinging Bridge, Grandfather Mountain saw exceptionally high winds last night and early this morning, including a gust of 121.3 mph around 4 a.m., exceeding the park's previous record of 120.7 mph, recorded Dec. 21, 2012. pic.twitter.com/xBwr2MVo7q
— Grandfather Mountain (@GrandfatherMtn) February 13, 2019
High Wind Warnings were in place at the time, and expire at 5 p.m. Wednesday for Grayson County.