Strongest Measured Wind Gust by State 2025

What this chart shows. The strongest thunderstorm wind gust measured by an instrument in each US state in 2025, converted from knots to miles per hour. Texas had the highest at 112 mph on April 22, followed by North Dakota at 110 mph and Minnesota at 106 mph, both on June 20, Kansas at 102 mph and Indiana at 100 mph. In 36 of the 48 states with a measured gust, the strongest one reached 75 mph or more.

How the data is collected. The chart uses only wind reports marked as measured gusts in the Storm Prediction Center's database, 4,724 of the year's reports, and takes the highest one for each state. NOAA records the speeds in knots; they are shown here in miles per hour, rounded to the nearest whole number.

Background. The Minnesota and North Dakota gusts came during the derecho of June 20, which Wikipedia describes as producing hurricane-force straight-line winds across Montana, Minnesota and the Dakotas. Its highest gust, 120 mph in Beltrami County, Minnesota, appears in the NOAA file as an estimated rather than measured gust, so it is not part of this chart.

Limits. Measured gusts depend on where instruments are, and many of the strongest winds strike between them. Estimated gusts in the same database go higher: the strongest, in Colorado on August 29, was put at 125 mph.