Record Setting Wind? 209 MPH Winds Recorded Over Tahoe Peak Under Question

Although it was widely known that high winds were pervasive across Norther California today, National Weather Service officials were surprised to see a reading of 209 mph winds over Kirkwood today. That number would be a new California record for highest wind ever recorded.

Around noon on Sunday, NWS officials took readings of the high winds surrounding the Tahoe area, including a legitimate 125 mph over Alpine Meadows. But what stood out was the reading of 209 mph over Kirkwood, which was a far greater number than the nearby peaks.

After the NWS released the astonishing number, they noticed a 92 percent humidity reading, a probable misreading in an area not known for its humidity. They took to Twitter to question their own report:

The highest wind ever recorded in California was in 2017 when winds reached 199 mph over Alpine Meadows.

So we may or may have not set a California wind record, but we do know it’s really windy. In fact, many of the major ski resorts in the area closed for the day due to high winds. We’ll continue to monitor the situation to see what the NWS finds as it pertains to the reading.