Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

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Extremes

1. What is the highest wind speed recorded in a tropical cyclone?

The highest recorded wind gust recorded on the Australian mainland is 267 km/h. The gust was recorded during cyclone Vance at 11:50 am (WST) 22 March 1999 at Learmonth Meteorological Office, 38 km south of Exmouth.
A gust of 267 km/h was also recorded at Varanus Island during cyclone Olivia in 1996. Wind gusts of 259 km/h at Mardie and 246 km/h at Onslow were measured during cyclone Trixie in February 1975.

By definition a category 5 cyclone produces gusts of at least 280 km/h. This means such gusts have gone unrecorded when category 5 cyclones have crossed the coast. Also, measurements of such winds are inherently going to be suspect as instruments often are completely destroyed or damaged at these speeds. The Onslow anemometer was destroyed after measuring the gust of 246 km/h during Trixie in 1975 as was the Darwin anemometer during Tracy.