The Strongest Measured Wind Gust

The strongest officially assessed non-tornadic surface wind gust on Earth was 408 km/h (253 mph). An automatic station recorded it on Barrow Island, Australia, on April 10, 1996, during Tropical Cyclone Olivia; a World Meteorological Organization panel evaluated the record. Wind transports dust and seeds, but distance depends on mass, shape, altitude, and atmospheric conditions.