What the highest sustained winds you have driven in?

[Cujet]

Originally Posted by Smoky14
I'm with Cujet, in early Feb this year I got hit with a 124MPH gust while riding in NM. Had just gone through an underpass when it hit me. Slammed me into a curb, broke 3 ribs and broke my shoulder. There is a weather recording station at that point is the only reason I knew the exact speed of the gust. First time I'd been down in 40yr and I don't bounce as well as I once did. A steady wind is bad but gusts will bust your behind.
Love tail winds, riding or flying.

Smoky


Oh man, that's awful. Don't do that again! I neglected to mention, please don't think it's possible to ride a motorcycle in high winds. It's not. I pulled it off by keeping tires against the curb and going very slowly

 

[CR94]

I won't try to top some people's incredible numbers, but ...

Once in eastern North Carolina while I was stopped for a red light on my way home from work on a bicycle, a freakish sudden gusty spell came up. First the stoplight went dark. Then while I was leaning into the wind and hanging on to the handlebar stem, the wind blew the rear of the bike around sideways like a weather vane. Then hail started coming at me horizontally. For lack of better shelter, I moved to the downwind side of a utility pole, despite worrying the wires might come down on me. Meanwhile, a salesman in the car dealership across the street had been watching. After the hail stopped, he took me home in a new Oldsmobile.

I forget the name of the hurricane that took out a lot of trees in North Carolina (especially Raleigh) and Virginia in '96. I drove through the leading edge of it, (not the worst) near Durham on I-85. Had to dodge around a few downed trees.

 

[BrianF]

Not sure but it ripped off a running board on my Trailblazer.

 

[gfh77665]

I drove to work during Hurricane Humberto in my Chevy 1500. It handled the 80 mph winds better than I expected.

 

[BeerCan]

I got stuck in a tornado in OK a couple of years back. Made it somehow, even had my airstream on the truck, was me and a bunch of those armored weather chasers on some back road in the panhandle. Never want to do that again, the wind was terrifying and the hail that followed was gigantic. Got a few dents but I can live with that.

Been in a bunch of Hurricanes but mostly class 3 or below.

 

[edyvw]

Do not know exactly, but during last year bombgenesis I was driving and later found out that at that time they clocked 106mph at COS airport which was 4 miles from my location.

 

[meep]

I'd estimate no more /sustained/ crosswind than 20-30, that's all that we see around here, but with a camper in tow it made for a very busy drive and I limited road speed to 55 or so since the gusts above that made it a handful.

Gusts to 55 in the WVa mountains was rough in my civic at highway speeds

About 3 times in my life the vehicle has literally been "slapped" by a slug of wind out of nowhere, twice with the windows open, and it was incredibly unsettling, like literally a wall of wind that would hit the side of the vehicle with a physical and audible impact that would knock the vehicle AND MY HEAD sideways. Has anyone else experienced this?

Worst sustained crosswind was the last 55 miles of a 110 mile bike (bicycle) ride. Had no idea 3 tornadoes touched down that day in the area - all we could see was clouds and blowing dust. All I knew is that the cross wind from the west was relentless, and we held a 7-9 mph ground speed at a 21 mph effort for the last 55 miles. It was a grueling, all-day affair that left us unable to make it to the 2nd floor of our hotel on 2 legs (we had to crawl up the stairs, which drew some awkward attention). The day prior was a blue-skied fair-weather 100 mile down leg.

 

[red7404]

a few weeks ago. i drove in wind 60-70 mph. near Wichita KS. on I 70 north of here we had semis blown over. this has happened before.

 

[gfh77665]

Originally Posted by meep

About 3 times in my life the vehicle has literally been "slapped" by a slug of wind out of nowhere, twice with the windows open, and it was incredibly unsettling, like literally a wall of wind that would hit the side of the vehicle with a physical and audible impact that would knock the vehicle AND MY HEAD sideways. Has anyone else experienced this?



Yes. I am from the swamps of SE TX, but I was travelling in southern Colorado on I-25 between Raton, NM and Trinidad CO. towing a box trailer with a 1/2 tom Chevy truck in January. I came around a mountain into an open area and the wind tunnel effect? probably got me. I spun out and landed in the snow covered median after three 360's. I was able to extricate myself and continue on my way. Up until that point there were little if any crosswinds.

At least down here in hurricane alley we know when and where its coming...

 

[lightningracer]

Probably around 100 mph up at a local trailhead. Driving my '96 Subaru. Not difficult to drive, only really exposed at the top in the parking lot. Out of the car pretty much had to crawl to get to the overlook though.

 

[littleant]

Not sure of the wind speed but it was enough to blow open the back tailgate on my 2010 Mountaineer. This was South Dakota. Wind turbines everywhere.