Hurricane Iniki was recorded as a category 4 and category 5 hurricane, depending on the monitors you consult. However, something happened on Makaha ridge during Iniki that was literally off the scale. On October 7, 1992, the Honolulu Advertiser ran the article below. During the storm, the United States Naval radar station apparently registered gusts at 227 Miles Per Hour!

What makes this even more cryptic and bizarre is that the wind guaging machine was apparently destroyed by the hurricane immediately after this 227 clocking. The highest winds recorded on this planet, outside of a tornado, have been 231 Miles Per hour at Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. This has been a Guiness book of World Records staple for a while.

With only 4 miles per hour difference, and the wind machine basically torn apart during the storm, it is not unreasonable to ask this question.

Did Iniki break the world record for wind velocity at Makaha Ridge on September 11, 1992?

Like so many legends and mysteries on Kauai, nobody really knows.
 
 

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