Extremely high wind gusts, approaching historical records, were recorded by the National Hydrometeorological Service (UHMR) during Tuesday’s severe storm. Hurricane-force winds exceeding 130 km/h were measured in several locations across the country, which, according to UHMR, is a rare and destructive event for the region.
Out of 47 wind measuring stations in the country, a storm and gale force wind with a speed of 62 to 88 km/h was registered at 12 measuring stations, a strong storm with a speed of 88 to 102 km/h at 6 measuring stations, a hurricane/hurricane storm with a speed of 102 to 117 km/h at one measuring station, and a hurricane/hurricane with a speed of over 118 km/h at 3 automatic meteorological stations. At the remaining measuring stations, winds with a speed of below 62 km/h were registered.
A hurricane according to the wind strength classification is a wind whose speed exceeds 118 km/h. It is an extremely strong wind that occurs very rarely in this territory and causes severe destruction and significant damage on a wider scale.
At the Shtip-based Automatic Meteorological Station, a hurricane with a maximum wind gust of 134 km/h with a west-northwest (WNW) direction was registered at 5 p.m.
In the Skopje Valley, at the Skopje Automatic Meteorological Station, a hurricane with a maximum wind gust of 130 km/h with a north-northwest (NNW) direction was registered at 4 p.m. A wind with the same strength of 130 km/h was also registered at the Automatic Meteorological Station in Novo Selo in Strumica, at 5:50 p.m., with a northwest (NW) direction.
This confirms that hurricane-force wind gusts have been registered at several locations in the country, which is a rare and devastating meteorological event.
