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Show Hurricane Winds? What are hurricane winds? How strong do such winds get? Why do they last so long? HURRICANE winds are those with a velocity of 75 m.p.h. or better. The velocity of the wind gusts in hurricanes is usually around a hundred miles an hour or greater in an average hurricane. But they have been measured beyond 150 m.p.h. and have been known to do almost unbelievable things, such as to drive a straw through a telephone pole. RECORDING instruments sometimes fail when winds reach such strengths. Hurricane winds build up to a crescendo and last a long time because a hurricane moves forward slowly. The average speed is ten to twenty miles an hour. AND SINCE these storms cover an area of several hundred miles, winds usually last many hours, or into the second day. |