when do the highest surface wind speeds occur
Wind speed Wind speeds within certain atmospheric phenomena (such as tornadoes) may greatly exceed these values but have never been accurately measured. Directly measuring these tornadic winds is rarely done as the violent wind would destroy the instruments. A method of estimating speed is to use Doppler on Wheels to sense the wind speeds remotely,[5] and, using this method, the figure of 486 km/h (302 mph; 135 m/s) during the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado in Oklahoma on 3 May 1999 is often quoted as the highest-recorded surface wind speed,[6] although another figure of 512 kilometres per hour (318 mph) has also been quoted for the same tornado.[7] Yet another number used by the Center for Severe Weather Research for that measurement is 486 ± 32 km/h (302 ± 20 mph).[8] However, speeds measured by Doppler radar are not considered official records.[7]