Unbelievable wind recorded in California on Sunday

KIRKWOOD, Calif. -- How does a wind gust of 209 mph sound? What if we told you it wasn't caused by a hurricane or tornado? 

Well, it happened on Sunday at the mountain top weather station in Kirkwood, California. 

Kirkwood now gusting 209 MPH! This could potentially be a new California state record wind speed if verified! https://t.co/WeWzntYjLt

— NWS Reno (@NWSReno) February 9, 2020

It takes awhile for meteorologists at the National Weather Service to verify data, so it isn't technically an official wind gust speed yet.

If it winds up being verified, it'll be the strongest wind gust speed ever in the state of California. The current record is 199 mph.

Kirkwood is located near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The weather station that recorded the 209 mph wind gust is located at an elevation of 9,186 feet.

To put a wind gust of 209 mph in perspective, think about this: A category 5 hurricane has winds of at least 157 mph, and an EF5 tornado has winds of at least 201 mph. 

That means Sunday's wind gust in Kirkwood was stronger than every hurricane to ever form in the Atlantic Basin. It was also stronger than nearly every tornado to ever touch down in the United States.

But it wasn't just a freak wind gust that hit Kirkwood. The weather station there measured a wind gust of at least 75 mph every 15 minutes from 12:00 a.m. Sunday to 5:15 a.m. Monday.

Essentially the weather station was reporting consistent hurricane-force wind gusts for more than a day straight! 

Wind gusts are expected to be much lower Monday afternoon and beyond as the system responsible for the winds moves away from California.