In National Weather Service (NWS) terminology, an extreme wind warning (EWW) is a warning issued when a landfalling hurricane is expected to bring winds of 100 knots (115 mph, 185 km/h, 51 m/s) to a specific location. The warning is issued just prior to when the strongest winds of the eyewall are expected to impact an area.
The warning is to be issued for the smallest area possible, and be valid for times of two hours or less. It was developed in response to confusion resulting from the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. NWS offices in Jackson and New Orleans/Baton Rouge issued 11 tornado warnings for areas that would not experience an actual tornado, but would experience extreme wind speeds commonly associated with tornadoes. The extreme wind warning is now expected to be used in these situations.