Hurricane Force Winds Confirmed on Lake Superior During February 2019 Wind Storm

The last weekend of February brought a windstorm and blizzard that will be remembered for a long time across Michigan. Perhaps it's fortunate that the one location that saw hurricane force winds has no permanent population.

Stannard Rock, described as the Loneliest Place in North America, miles away from land in Lake Superior, clocked a wind gust of 75 miles-per-hour - that's good enough for hurricane classification.

A category one hurricane has wind speeds in excess of 74 miles-per-hour.

WJMN TV in Escanaba reports that 75 mile-per-hour gust as the most intense in Michigan during the February 24 wind storm. Next windiest was Houghton County Airport north of Hancock at 66 miles per hour.

This intense video captured in Hougton County at Redridge shows how intense things were on Sunday, and the wind in this video 20-30 mph less than that Stannard Rock gust. The video's uploader reported,

Sustained winds in the 35 to 45 MPH range with gusts to over 53 MPH. Last look we had over a foot of snow, with drifts building to well over 4 feet.

In the Lower Peninsula, the highest wind speeds we saw reported was by the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids with a 60 mph gust clocked at Kellogg Airport in Battle Creek.

If you've never seen Stannard Rock, here's how things are on the lonely outpost at calmer times