Tornado: Highest Recorded Wind Speed in Tornado (via Doppler Radar)

Tornado: Highest Recorded Wind Speed in Tornado (via Doppler Radar)

Record Value 135 m/s (302 mph)
Date of Event 3/5/1999
Length of Record ~1996-present
Geospatial Location Bridge Creek Oklahoma [35°14'N, 97°44'W, elevation 416 m (1365 ft)]

Reference

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#History

Discussion

Mobile Doppler radars such as the University of Oklahoma's Doppler on Wheels have remotely sensed tornado wind speeds above ground level as high as about 302 mph. Note that is NOT the fastest "measured" wind speed since the winds are not directly determined by instrumentation but rather established by computer doppler wind algorithms.

Bridge Creek Oklahoma [35°14'N, 97°44'W, elevation 416 m (1365 ft)]

Bridge Creek Oklahoma [35°14'N, 97°44'W, elevation 416 m (1365 ft)]

Closeup and Regional Satellite Images of Bridge Creek Oklahoma