Short answers, pulled from the story.
The strongest wind ever recorded on a planet in our solar system occurs on Neptune, where jet streams race at speeds exceeding 2,000 kilometers per hour. This phenomenon operates on scales ranging from thunderstorm flows to global circulations that have shaped the climate of Earth for billions of years.
Wind speed is measured by anemometers, most commonly using rotating cups or propellers. When a high measurement frequency is needed, wind can be measured by the propagation speed of ultrasound signals or by the effect of ventilation on the resistance of a heated wire.
Australia's Barrow Island holds the record for the strongest wind gust, reaching 408 kilometers per hour or 253 miles per hour during tropical Cyclone Olivia on the 10th of April 1996. This event surpassed the previous record of 372 kilometers per hour or 231 miles per hour set on Mount Washington in New Hampshire on the afternoon of the 12th of April 1934.
The Beaufort wind force scale was created by Francis Beaufort and originally provided a 13-level scale from 0 to 12. During the 1940s, the scale was expanded to 18 levels from 0 to 17 to describe wind speed based on observed sea conditions.
For sailing ships, wind direction determines the ability to power the vessel and avoid hazards like being becalmed or blown off course. For aircraft, the velocity of surface wind is the primary factor governing flight operations, as airfield runways are aligned to account for the common wind direction of the local area.
Wind disperses seeds, spores, and pollen through mechanisms like anemochory and anemophily, which are critical for plant reproduction and evolution. Strong winds can also limit tree growth by scouring away thin soils, damaging limbs, and causing windthrow, which is most likely on windward slopes of mountains.