On Friday, 29 January 2016 09:38:25 UTC, Norman Lynagh wrote:
On Fri, 29 Jan 2016 00:59:26 -0800 (PST), xmetman
wrote:

Great Dun Fell is holding it's own in regards to mean wind speed, but the gusts to 125 knots on Cairngorm will take some beating.

Highest Hourly Mean Wind Speed
In WMO Block 03
08:00 UTC on Fri, 29 January 2016

[01] 03065 Cairngorm 1237 M 250° [WSW] 74 kt [f13] Gst 125 kt [f18]
[02] 03227 Great Dun Fell 847 M 240° [WSW] 68 kt [f12] Gst 80 kt [f13]
[03] 03041 Aonach Mor. 1130 M 230° [SW] 54 kt [f10] Gst 92 kt [f15]
[04] 03405 Aberdaron 95 M 210° [SSW] 47 kt [f9] Gst 65 kt [f12]
[05] 03088 Inverbervie 134 M 240° [WSW] 45 kt [f9] Gst 69 kt [f12]
03111 RAF Machrihanish 12 M 260° [W] 45 kt [f9] Gst 56 kt [f11]
[06] 03275 Loftus Samos 158 M 240° [WSW] 41 kt [f9] Gst 60 kt [f11]
03609 Mumbles 43 M 230° [SW] 41 kt [f9] Gst 47 kt [f9]
[07] 03105 Islay 17 M 260° [W] 40 kt [f8] Gst 59 kt [f11]
03023 South Uist Range 4 M 280° [W] 40 kt [f8] Gst 59 kt [f11]
[08] 03075 Wick Airport 38 M 230° [SW] 39 kt [f8] Gst 67 kt [f12]
03010 Sule Skerry 12 M 250° [WSW] 39 kt [f8] Gst 58 kt [f11]
[09] 03980 Malin Head 20 M 260° [W] 39 kt [f8] Gst 62 kt [f11]
[10] 03008 Fair Isle 68 M 210° [SSW] 38 kt [f8] Gst 62 kt [f11]
03257 RAF Leeming 40 M 240° [WSW] 38 kt [f8] Gst 59 kt [f11]
03318 Blackpool 10 M 230° [SW] 38 kt [f8] Gst 51 kt [f10]
03210 St Bees Head 124 M 230° [SW] 38 kt [f8] Gst 50 kt [f10]
[11] 03240 RAF Boulmer 22 M 220° [SW] 37 kt [f8] Gst 63 kt [f11]
03031 Loch Glascarnoch 269 M 260° [W] 37 kt [f8] Gst 57 kt [f11]
03153 Dundrennan 113 M 240° [WSW] 37 kt [f8] Gst 53 kt [f10]
03305 Capel Curig 216 M 240° [WSW] 37 kt [f8] Gst 51 kt [f10]
[12] 03224 Spadeadam 285 M 220° [SW] 36 kt [f8] Gst 56 kt [f11]
03301 RAF Mona 61 M 220° [SW] 36 kt [f8] Gst 50 kt [f10]
03005 Lerwick 82 M 200° [SSW] 36 kt [f8] Gst 44 kt [f9]
03316 Crosby 9 M 230° [SW] 36 kt [f8] Gst 44 kt [f9]
03302 RAF Valley 11 M 210° [SSW] 36 kt [f8]
[13] 03916 Ballypatrick Forest 156 M 290° [WNW] 35 kt [f8] Gst 59 kt [f11]
03068 RAF Lossiemouth 12 M 250° [WSW] 35 kt [f8] Gst 58 kt [f11]
03605 Pembry Sands 3 M 230° [SW] 35 kt [f8] Gst 47 kt [f9]
03014 Foula Island 22 M 210° [SSW] 35 kt [f8]
[14] 03100 Tiree 11 M 280° [W] 34 kt [f8] Gst 59 kt [f11]
03136 Prestwick(Royal) 19 M 250° [WSW] 34 kt [f8] Gst 56 kt [f11]
03385 Donna Nook 8 M 210° [SSW] 34 kt [f8] Gst 53 kt [f10]
03158 Charterhall 112 M 210° [SSW] 34 kt [f8] Gst 53 kt [f10]
03502 Aberporth 133 M 230° [SW] 34 kt [f8] Gst 50 kt [f10]
03204 Isle Of Man 16 M 240° [WSW] 34 kt [f8] Gst 49 kt [f10]
[15] 03963 Mace Head 23 M 260° [W] 33 kt [f7] Gst 50 kt [f10]
[16] 03166 Edinburgh Gogarbank 57 M 250° [WSW] 33 kt [f7] Gst 57 kt [f11]
03066 RAF Kinloss 6 M 250° [WSW] 33 kt [f7] Gst 55 kt [f10]
03462 RAF Wittering 83 M 230° [SW] 33 kt [f7] Gst 48 kt [f10]
[17] 03026 Stornoway Airport 7 M 270° [W] 32 kt [f7] Gst 52 kt [f10]
[18] 03976 Belmullet 8 M 240° [WSW] 31 kt [f7] Gst 44 kt [f9]
[19] 03132 West Freugh 11 M 260° [W] 31 kt [f7] Gst 52 kt [f10]
03266 RAF Linton-On-Ouse 16 M 230° [SW] 31 kt [f7] Gst 47 kt [f9]
03379 RAF Cranwell 66 M 230° [SW] 31 kt [f7] Gst 47 kt [f9]
03803 Scilly 51 M 230° [SW] 31 kt [f7] Gst 42 kt [f9]
[20] 03171 RAF Leuchars 11 M 250° [WSW] 30 kt [f7] Gst 61 kt [f11]
03214 Walney Island 15 M 220° [SW] 30 kt [f7] Gst 52 kt [f10]
03261 RAF Dishforth 35 M 230° [SW] 30 kt [f7] Gst 46 kt [f9]
03373 RAF Scampton 61 M 240° [WSW] 30 kt [f7] Gst 45 kt [f9]
03469 RAF Holbeach 12 M 240° [WSW] 30 kt [f7] Gst 43 kt [f9]
[21] 03978 Finner 37 M 250° [WSW] 29 kt [f7] Gst 52 kt [f10]
03969 Dublin 68 M 250° [WSW] 29 kt [f7] Gst 52 kt [f10]
[22] 03265 Topcliffe 28 M 230° [SW] 29 kt [f7] Gst 43 kt [f9]
03488 Weybourne 21 M 220° [SW] 29 kt [f7] Gst 42 kt [f9]
03392 Wainfleet 3 M 220° [SW] 29 kt [f7] Gst 39 kt [f8]
03796 Langdon Bay 117 M 250° [WSW] 29 kt [f7] Gst 39 kt [f8]
[23] 03344 Bingley 262 M 230° [SW] 28 kt [f7] Gst 46 kt [f9]
03017 Kirkwall 17 M 220° [SW] 28 kt [f7] Gst 44 kt [f9]
03866 St Catherine's Point 20 M 250° [WSW] 28 kt [f7] Gst 38 kt [f8]
[24] 03409 Bala 163 M 240° [WSW] 27 kt [f6] Gst 49 kt [f10]
03230 Redesdale 211 M 230° [SW] 27 kt [f6] Gst 47 kt [f9]
03507 Sennybridge 307 M 230° [SW] 27 kt [f6] Gst 47 kt [f9]
03321 Hawarden 13 M 240° [WSW] 27 kt [f6] Gst 46 kt [f9]
03002 Baltasound 15 M 190° [S] 27 kt [f6] Gst 39 kt [f8]
[25] 03034 Aultbea 11 M 250° [WSW] 26 kt [f6] Gst 54 kt [f10]
03162 Eskdalemuir 236 M 240° [WSW] 26 kt [f6] Gst 53 kt [f10]
03134 Glasgow 59 M 260° [W] 26 kt [f6] Gst 53 kt [f10]
03091 Aberdeen 65 M 240° [WSW] 26 kt [f6] Gst 50 kt [f10]
03377 RAF Waddington 70 M 240° [WSW] 26 kt [f6] Gst 47 kt [f9]
03716 St Athan 49 M 240° [WSW] 26 kt [f6] Gst 40 kt [f8]
03707 RAF Chivenor 8 M 230° [SW] 26 kt [f6] Gst 39 kt [f8]
[26] 03967 Casement 97 M 250° [WSW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 52 kt [f10]
[27] 03313 Rhyl 77 M 240° [WSW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 46 kt [f9]
03647 Little Rissington 210 M 230° [SW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 43 kt [f9]
03382 Leconfield 8 M 230° [SW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 40 kt [f8]
03482 RAF Marham 23 M 230° [SW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 39 kt [f8]
03809 Culdrose 81 M 230° [SW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 38 kt [f8]
03761 RAF Odiham 123 M 220° [SW] 25 kt [f6] Gst 36 kt [f8]
[28] 03037 Skye 18 M 230° [SW] 24 kt [f6] Gst 51 kt [f10]
03330 Leek Thorncliffe 298 M 250° [WSW] 24 kt [f6] Gst 41 kt [f9]
03911 Lough Sea 225 M 280° [W] 24 kt [f6] Gst 40 kt [f8]
[29] 03951 Sherkin Island 21 M 260° [W] 23 kt [f6] Gst 40 kt [f8]
03952 Roches Point 40 M 260° [W] 23 kt [f6] Gst 36 kt [f8]
03962 Shannon 14 M 260° [W] 23 kt [f6] Gst 34 kt [f8]
[30] 03917 Belfast 81 M 250° [WSW] 23 kt [f6] Gst 53 kt [f10]
03520 Shobdon 99 M 240° [WSW] 23 kt [f6] Gst 40 kt [f8]
03797 RAF Manston 54 M 230° [SW] 23 kt [f6] Gst 37 kt [f8]


Hi Bruce,

Just a couple of comments on this table. You have labelled the table as "Highest
Hourly Mean Wind Speed" at 0800 UTC. It's actually the 10-min mean wind speeds
reported in the 0800 SYNOPs. Assuming that the same convention is used for the
AWS SYNOPs as is used for the manual SYNOPs then what is reported at 0800 UTC is
actually the 10-min mean speed between 0740 and 0750 UTC. The hourly SYNOPs
therefore provide only a snapshot 10-min mean once per hour. They are not the
highest 10-min means during the hour. In contrast, the gust speed reported in
each hourly SYNOP is the highest gust measured during the hour. For the 0800 UTC
SYNOP it is the highest gust between 0650 and 0750 UTC.

My second point is that it is incorrect to assign Beaufort Forces to gust
speeds. By definition, Beaufort Forces refer only to mean wind speed.

Sorry to appear so pedantic but these are important points. I've been involved
in some heated arguments on this topic with cross-examining Counsel on several
occasions while in the Witness Box.

--
Norman Lynagh
Tideswell, Derbyshire
303m a.s.l.
http://peakdistrictweather.org

Norman

You're quite right, my ranked observation viewer is a bit of a pig to program, and the headers are different for nearly every element, and then they change if you sort the values ascending or descending or don't sort them at all.

Bruce.