MOUNT WASHINGTON (WHDH) — Record-breaking wind gusts equivalent to the strength of a Category 5 hurricane were recorded Monday atop Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest peak.
The Mount Washington Observatory shared a photo of a completed Hays Chart, which showed a peak gust of 171 mph during the destructive storm that swept through New England.
The gust set the highest all-time peak for the month of February, according to the observatory.
Winds are said to have averaged 110 mph over the course of the day, with the highest one-hour average of 138 mph.
Category 5 storms earn the classification if gusts and sustained winds reach 157 mph, according to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Winds of such intensity almost always cause catastrophic damage.
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