::: I don't want to start an argument over this, but besides "tornadic" winds, isn't this the greatest ever recorded? I don't know how official the statement is, but here it is again right from the Hurricane Rita article (I don't see a source): {Lt. Col. Warren Madden, a Hurricane Hunter and meteorologist for The Weather Channel, recorded a peak wind gust of 235 mph (380 km/h) while in the eye of the storm. "Rita is the strongest storm that I've ever been in," he commented.} Mt. Washington's was 231 mph, and this has no instrument problems recorded unlike Super Typhoon Paka. So why the controversy over it!!! I mean, even though it is basically impossible to find the highest surface wind gust because Hurricane Hunters cannot be in a tropical cyclone 24/7, and of course pre-records for Mt. Washington and hurricanes.