Weather equipment at the Manuel Teixeira Gomes school in Portimão has recorded the highest wind speed ever for Portugal.
Gusts reached 175 kmph (109 mph) on January 17th as recorded by the school’s weather station making this a Portuguese record.
The equipment readings from the school were accepted and published by the Office of Ocean and Atmosphere which described the event as a classic downburst’ from a particular cloud system that was confirmed as passing over Portimão at the time.
The spectacular blast was recorded on January 17th at 11.40 by the school’s sturdy wind sensors, "the Office of Ocean and Atmosphere validated the blast because of the readings, the existence of particular weather conditions on that day, and verbal records of bursts of high wind over Portimão at that hour," said the school spokesman.
This wind coming from this type of ‘super cloud’ blasts towards the ground at astounding speeds, according to the young boffins who already had identified similar conditions in the early hours of October 24, 2011 when a weather system caused havoc at Faro airport, forcing its temporary closure and removing choice sections of roofing.
