The strongest gust of wind. Where are the strongest winds in the world
There are several places that are desperately fighting for the title of the windiest place on planet Earth. However, it turns out that nature is trying to keep some of its secrets, and wind is not so easy to measure, and the title of windiest place depends on the definition of “windy.”
Barrow Island
Located northwest of the coast of Australia, this small island experienced gusts of strong winds. In 1996, April 10, weather station recorded the strongest gust of wind in history, the speed of which reached 408 km per hour. This gust of wind came on the wings of Tropical Cyclone Olivia.
Tropical cyclones form when warm, moist air rises from the surface of seas and oceans. They are accompanied by heavy rainfall and winds storm force. Tropical cyclones can long time maintain its strength only over large bodies of water, such as high seas and oceans. The islands are especially hard hit by such weather phenomena. Such a cyclone is called a typhoon in the northern hemisphere, and a hurricane over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Although Cyclone Olivia brought the strongest gust of wind, it is still not the most strong cyclone. Typically, the strength of a cyclone is determined by the continuous strength of the wind. According to meteorological data, the champion was Typhoon Nancy, whose continuous wind force in 1961 reached 146 km per hour. Nancy caused the deaths of 170 people in Japan.
Still, cyclones are not champions in wind power. Even more destructive gusts occur during tornadoes and tornadoes. Thus, one of the windiest places in the world is located in the very center of the USA.
Oklahoma
A tornado, often called a tornado in Russian, is an air column that connects a thundercloud to the ground. According to many meteorologists, tornadoes are the most powerful and destructive of all. atmospheric vortices and storms.
This weather phenomenon, like tornadoes, can happen anywhere, but most often they appear in the United States. The southeastern states have even earned the title of "tornado alley." In 2011, the "alley" served as the scene for the formation of 207 individual tornadoes in a 24-hour period.
In 1999, on May 3, the highest speed of a tornado was recorded in the state of Oklahoma, reaching 486 km per hour.
Despite the high wind speeds in a tornado, this weather phenomenon is usually relatively short-lived, however there is a place where you can experience strong winds at any time of the year.
South ocean
This is the conventional name for the waters of the three oceans - Indian, Pacific and Atlantic, which wash the shores of Antarctica. Increasingly, experts are seeing a division of the world's oceans not into the usual four bodies of water, but into five, when they assign a separate role to the Southern Ocean.
Any traveler or explorer who has circumnavigated the world will tell you that the waters of the Southern Ocean are the roughest. Starting from 40° latitude, the winds become especially cruel and strong. Gusts are also intensified by the fact that air flows are not interrupted by continents and large islands. Thus, continuous wind force in the Southern Ocean can reach 160 km per hour.
Although this strength is enough to recognize South ocean one of the windiest places, just south of the restless waters lies the continent, whose air currents earned it the title of the windiest 100 years ago.
Antarctica
The wind in Antarctica is unusual - it is called katabatic, or falling. Due to the shape of the continent, dense air currents flow down the icy slopes, making the wind not only strong, but also unusually cold.
The shape of the continent is very similar to a dome, the wind blows from the top towards coastline with a bias to the left due to the rotation of the Earth around its axis. The strength of wind gusts on the southernmost continent has been measured regularly since December 1913. The windiest hour in the history of Antarctica was July 6, 1913, when the force air flow reached a speed of 153 km per hour.
However, it is very difficult to measure the strength of katabatic winds, especially in Antarctica, where temperatures never rise above freezing. Firstly, strong currents air, due to their density, easily breaks equipment, and secondly, even if some measuring stations and poles remain untouched, they often freeze.
Strong piercing winds are not uncommon for our country. But experts managed to find the windiest place in Russia. All the coldest and windy places Russia is located in the eastern part of our large country.
There is probably not a single resident of Russia for whom the wind would be a surprise. Even if it is strong and piercing. Of course, Russians from southern regions encounter this phenomenon much less often. But with the arrival of autumn, residents of the central part of the country feel the severity of Russian weather. Cities located in the east suffer even more from the wind.
Experts even conducted a study regarding the windiness of certain regions. As a result, they were able to make interesting discoveries. This is how the windiest place in Russia was discovered. It turned out to be Chukotka. To be more precise, this is small town Pevek. It is in this place that gusts of wind can reach 40 meters per second. Quite an unpleasant phenomenon. Although, according to surveys, residents of this city have long been accustomed to such wind and note that the main thing is to dress according to the weather. With warm clothes made of thick, windproof fabric, such problems are not a problem. Moreover, today in stores you can easily find stylish and high-quality windbreaker jackets for every taste.
The unprecedented windiness of the Chukotka city is quite easy to explain if you study the features of its climate. From time to time this place is subject to the strongest southern wind, which hits it from the coastal hills. Interestingly, it is almost impossible to predict the occurrence of this phenomenon. The wind begins to blow completely unexpectedly and suddenly. During the cold season, strong snow flurries also form. When the wind speed reaches its maximum (which is 40 meters per second, as noted above), city residents are advised to go outside only while observing the rules of caution. If there is such an opportunity, then it is better to stay at home during this period.
After all, parallel to the appearance of the wind, the Atmosphere pressure. And its speed in gusts can reach 80 meters per second. Most often, severe icy weather lasts no longer than 3-4 days. But there have been cases where it persisted for 15 days. All this time, Pevek residents refused to go for walks, hid light items from the streets that the wind could carry away, and also did not allow pets into the yard.
Understand exactly when it will occur gusty wind(its name is “Yuzhak”), is extremely difficult, but there are some signs by which one can determine its approach. For example, before this, small Cumulus clouds. But in general, even experienced weather forecasters are unable to predict the described weather change.
There are other windy places in Russia. For example, residents of the northern capital experience this phenomenon almost every day. Of course, in St. Petersburg the wind is less strong and gusty.
Experts were able to determine which place in Russia turned out to be the windiest. Today, the Chukotka city of Pevek occupies a leading position in the ranking. But research on the topic under discussion is still ongoing.
Wind is one of the most unique natural phenomena. We cannot see or touch it, but we are able to observe the results of its manifestation, for example, how it slowly or quickly drives clouds across the sky, bends trees to the ground with its force, or slightly ruffles leaves.
Wind concept
What is wind? The definition from a meteorological point of view is: it is horizontal movement layers of air from a zone with high atmospheric pressure to a zone of low, accompanied by a certain speed. This movement occurs because during the day the sun penetrates the Earth's air layer. Some rays, reaching the surface, heat the oceans, seas, rivers, mountains, soil, rocks and stones, which release heat into the air, thereby heating it. Behind the same number time dark objects absorb more heat and warm up more.
But what does it matter how the heat is given off and how quickly? And how does this help us figure out what wind is? The definition is as follows: land heats up faster than water, which means that the air accumulated above it receives heat from it and rises, therefore, the atmospheric pressure over this area drops. With water, everything is exactly the opposite: above it, the air masses are colder and the pressure is higher. Eventually cold air moves out of the area high pressure into a low area, creating wind. The greater the difference between these pressures, the stronger it is.
Types of winds
Having figured out what wind is, you need to find out how many types there are and how they differ from each other. There are three main groups of winds:
- local;
- permanent;
- regional.
Local winds live up to their name and blow only on certain territories of our planet. Their appearance is associated with the specifics of local reliefs and temperature changes in relatively short periods of time. These winds are characterized by short duration and daily periodicity.
What is wind of local origin is now clear, but it is also divided into its subspecies:
- A breeze is a light wind that changes direction twice a day. During the day it blows from sea to land, and at night it blows vice versa.
- Bora is a high-speed cold air current blowing from mountain tops to valleys or coasts. He is fickle.
- Föhn is a warm and light spring wind.
- Sukhovei is a dry wind that prevails in steppe regions in warm period time under anticyclone conditions. It foretells drought.
- Sirocco - rapid southern, southwestern air currents that form in the Sahara.
- What is the khamsin wind? These are dusty, dry and hot air masses that predominate in northeastern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean.
TO constant winds These include those that depend on the total air circulation. They are stable, uniform, constant and strong. These include:
- trade winds - winds from the east, characterized by constancy, unchanging direction and strength of 3-4 points;
- anti-trade winds are winds from the west that carry huge air masses.
Regional wind appears as a result of pressure differences, a little similar to local wind, but more stable and powerful. A bright representative This species is considered to be the monsoon, which originates in the tropics, at the border with the ocean. It blows periodically, but in large streams, changing its direction a couple of times a year: during the summer season - from water to land, during winter - vice versa. The monsoon brings a lot of moisture in the form of rain.
Strong wind is...
What is a strong wind and how does it differ from other currents? Its most important feature is its high speed, which ranges from 14-32 m/s. It produces devastating effects or causes damage and destruction. In addition to speed, temperature, direction, location and duration also matter.
Types of strong winds
- A typhoon (hurricane) is accompanied by intense precipitation and a drop in temperature, great strength, speed (177 km/h or more), blows at a distance of 20-200 m for several days.
- What is the wind called a squall? This is a sharp, sudden flow with a speed of 72-108 km/h, formed in hot period as a result of the powerful penetration of cold air into warm zones. It blows for a couple of seconds or tens of minutes, changing direction, and brings a decrease in temperature.
- Storm: its speed is 103-120 km/h. Characterized by high duration and strength. It is the source of strong sea vibrations and destruction on land.
- Tornado (tornado) - air vortex, visually similar to a dark pillar along which a curved axis runs. At the bottom and top of the pillar there are extensions similar to a funnel. The air in the vortex spins counterclockwise at a speed of 300 km/h and draws all nearby objects and objects into its funnel. The pressure inside the tornado is reduced. The height of the pillar reaches 1500 m, and its diameter ranges from tens (above water) to hundreds of meters (above the ground). A tornado can travel from a couple of hundred meters to tens of kilometers at a speed of 60 km/h.
- Storm - air mass, the speed of which is in the range of 62-100 km/h. Storms abundantly cover areas with sand, dust, snow, and earth, causing harm to people and households.
Description of wind force
Answering the question about what wind force is, it would be appropriate to note that here the concept of force is interconnected with speed: the higher it is, the stronger the wind. This indicator is measured on the 13-point Beaufort scale. A zero value characterizes calm, 3 points - light, weak wind, 7 - powerful, 9 - the appearance of a storm, over nine - merciless storms, hurricanes. Strong winds often blow over the sea and ocean, because nothing bothers them here, unlike rocky mountains, hills, forests.
Definition of solar wind
What is solar wind? This amazing phenomenon. Ionized plasma particles stream out from the solar corona (outer layer) into space with a speed range of 300-1200 km/s, which depends on the activity of the Sun.
There are slow (400 km/s), fast (700 km/s), high-speed (up to 1200 km/s) solar winds. They form an area with space around the central celestial body that protects solar system from interstellar gas entering it. In addition, thanks to them, phenomena such as the radiation belt and the aurora occur on our planet. This is what solar wind is.
Illustration copyright Robert Mora Alamy Stock Photo Image caption Trees bent by the winds that constantly blow on the banks of the Catlins South Island New Zealand
Among the contenders for the title of the most windy point on the planet are the state of Oklahoma in the USA, Antarctica, the Southern Ocean and a small island off the coast of Australia. But it all depends on what parameters this airflow is measured by. The correspondent looked into the problem of windiness.
Barrow Island, Australia
Illustration copyright Suzanne Long Alamy Stock Photo Image caption April 10, 1996 weather station at Barrow Island recorded wind gusts of up to 408 km/hThis small island, located off the northwest coast of Australia, can get pretty drafty at times.
On April 10, 1996, an automatic weather station located there recorded wind gusts of up to 408 kilometers per hour. According to the World meteorological organization(WMO), these are the strongest wind gusts on record.
Typhoon Olivia produced the most powerful single wind gust but did not become the most powerful tropical cyclone in history
This serious record was set with the help of tropical cyclone Olivia.
Tropical cyclones are rotating areas of stormy winds. They occur when it is warm and wet air rises from the surface of the ocean and forms a low pressure weather system.
The typhoon accelerates the trade winds blowing towards the equator. The column of rising air swirls due to the so-called Coriolis effect, in which the Earth's rotation deflects winds away from the equator.
Such weather systems are capable of generating hurricane-force winds. Particularly powerful cyclones are called Far East and in South-East Asia typhoons, and in Northern and South America- hurricanes.
Illustration copyright NASA Image caption Sometimes two typhoons can form at the same time, as seen in this image from spaceSo, Typhoon Olivia produced the most powerful single gust of wind - which, however, does not make it the most powerful tropical cyclone in history. To do this, it is better to evaluate the storm using the parameter of sustained wind speed.
Typhoon Nancy of 1961 appears to be the champion in this category, according to the WMO. It formed over the Pacific Ocean and killed 170 people when it struck the coast of Japan.
That typhoon was reported to have sustained wind speeds of 346 kilometers per hour - although meteorologists now suspect that this estimate may have been slightly overestimated.
However, spiral tornado vortices can generate even stronger gusts of wind.
This means that one of the windiest places on Earth is located exactly in the middle of the United States.
Oklahoma State, USA
Illustration copyright Reed Timmer SPL Image caption Most tornadoes occur in the southeastern United States, nicknamed “Tornado Alley.”A tornado is a rotating vertical vortex that forms between the lower edge thunder clouds and the surface of the earth.
If instead of land there is water below, then such a vortex is called a waterspout.
Tornadoes are "the most violent of all atmospheric storms," according to the National Storm Laboratory in Norman. American state Oklahoma.
Tornadoes can whip up winds like never before, but they don't last long.
They can occur anywhere in the world, but the United States sees far more of them than anywhere else - especially in the southeastern states, nicknamed "Tornado Alley."
In Oklahoma, WMO celebrated the most high speed wind for a vortex of this type: 486 kilometers per hour. It happened on May 3, 1999 in the Bridge Creek area.
Although tornadoes can generate incredible wind speeds, they do not last long.
But there are also places in the world where powerful winds blow all year round.
South ocean
Illustration copyright Gavin Newman Alamy Stock Photo Image caption Quite an ordinary day in the Southern Ocean - stormy and rockyAs a result of the uneven heating of the surface of our planet by the Sun, giant belts of prevailing winds are formed above it.
Trade winds blow steadily at 30° degrees north and south of the equator. At latitude 40° they dominate westerly winds, and in the region of 60° the polar eastern ones dominate.
If you ask any sailor who has undertaken circumnavigation, he will answer without hesitation that the most strong winds- and the most big waves- found in the Southern Ocean.
These are violent southern latitudes entered maritime folklore under the nicknames “roaring forties”, “furious fifties” and “shrill sixties”.
Unlike Northern Hemisphere, in Southern on the path of the prevailing western winds There are almost no continents - so the wind can accelerate to speeds of over 150 kilometers per hour without interference.
Antarctica
Illustration copyright fruchtzwergs world CC by 2.0 Image caption Downward or katabatic winds in Antarctica are a product of cold and shape earth's surfaceIn Antarctica, katabatic, or downward, winds blow. They arise due to a combination of a cold climate and the peculiar shape of the polar continent.
"The constant cooling of the surface, especially during the Antarctic winter when the sun barely rises or does not rise at all above the horizon, leads to the formation of a thin layer of cold, dense air just above the surface," explains John King from the British Antarctic Research Center, based in Cambridge.
“Antarctica is dome-shaped, and therefore cold air moves from its higher center towards the coasts,” says the specialist. “As a result of the Earth’s rotation, this air does not move down in a straight line: along the way it deviates to the left.”
Illustration copyright Atomic Alamy Stock Photo Image caption Blizzard at Cape Denison - not much has changed here since 1912From February 1912 to December 1913, scientists measured wind speed at Cape Denison in the Commonwealth Sea in eastern Antarctica. To this day, it is believed that of all weather stations located at sea level, this one is located in the most windy place.
On July 6, 1913, a record for average strength wind per hour: it was 153 km/h.
According to the widely used Beaufort scale for estimating wind speed, the average weather at Cape Denison is considered stormy.
Sir Douglas Mawson, who led the expedition to Cape Denison, wrote: “The climate is essentially one of year-round blizzards and blizzards: hurricane wind roars for weeks, interrupting only occasionally for a couple of hours."
The combination of strong winds and subzero temperatures makes it much more difficult to measure the strength of katabatic winds.
Illustration copyright Design Pics Inc Alamy Stock Photo Image caption The katabatic winds of Antarctica are the native element for Cape DovesFirst, if the storm is severe, it can destroy measuring equipment and the masts on which it is attached.
But even when the storm subsides, regular types cup or vane anemometers(wind measuring instruments) often freeze and become covered with ice.
"You can use ultrasonic anemometers, which have no moving parts and can be heated to help prevent icing," says King. "But they don't work very well in high wind conditions with snow."
In general, measuring wind speed in Antarctica is not at all easy.