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How fast is 550 feet per minute?

It's about one-twenty-fifth as fast as a Skydiver (headfirst)
The speed of a Skydiver (headfirst) is about 14,000 feet per minute.
(Head-to-Earth orientation or standing, average conditions, terminal velocity)
A head-to-Earth or standing-oriented skydiver's terminal velocity assuming average conditions is about 14,000 feet per minute. In a typical jump from 3,900 m (13,000 ft), a diver in this orientation will be in freefall for 46 seconds.
It's about one-twentieth as fast as a Tornado
The speed of a Tornado is about 10,868 feet per minute.
(EF2) (wind speed range average)
According to the Enhanced Fujita scale implemented by the US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, a "significant" tornado has an Enhanced Funjita scale classification of EF2 and is characterized by wind gust speeds between 9,680 feet per minute and 12,056 feet per minute. The largest recorded tornado — an F4 event occurring in Nebraska in May, 2004 — was almost 4.02 km (2.5 mi) across.
It's about one-twentieth as fast as a Skydiver (belly-to-earth)
The speed of a Skydiver (belly-to-earth) is about 10,000 feet per minute.
(Belly-to-Earth orientation, average conditions, terminal velocity)
A belly-to-Earth oriented skydiver's terminal velocity is about 10,000 feet per minute. In a typical jump from 3,900 m (13,000 ft), a diver in this orientation will be in freefall for 60 seconds.
It's about one-fifteenth as fast as a Fastball (baseball)
The speed of a Fastball (baseball) is about 8,100 feet per minute.
(a.k.a. rising fastball, a.k.a. cross-seam fastball, a.k.a. heater, a.k.a. hummer, a.k.a. smoker; for four-seam grip) (major league average)
The average speed of major league fastball pitch is 8,200 feet per minute. When up against the quickest professional fastball pitchers, a batter may have less than 0.4 seconds to react to a pitched ball.
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Curveball (baseball)
The speed of a Curveball (baseball) is about 6,700 feet per minute.
(a.k.a. hook, a.k.a. hammer, a.k.a. yakker) (major league average)
The average speed of major league curveball pitch is 6,600 feet per minute. In the 1940's, debate over whether there really was a curve in the curveball pitch was settled with the conclusion that the ball does curve; however, an optical illusion caused by the spin of the ball and the batter's perception of motion exaggerates the extent of the curve.
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Hurricane
The speed of a Hurricane is about 6,520 feet per minute.
(formally: Topical cyclone; a.k.a. typhoon)
A hurricane is defined by the US National Hurricane Center as a Northern Hemisphere tropical storm having one-minute average wind-speeds of at least 6,510 feet per minute. Typhoons Tip (October, 1979) and Keith (October, 1997) and Hurricanes Camille (August, 1969) and Allen (August, 1980) jointly hold the record for highest tropical storm wind speeds at 17,000 feet per minute.
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Cheetah
The speed of a Cheetah is about 6,041 feet per minute.
(Acinonyx jubatus)
The cheetah can reach speeds of up to 6,042 feet per minute in short bursts. From a crouching position, the cheetah can attain these speeds in just 2.25 seconds.
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Knuckleball (baseball)
The speed of a Knuckleball (baseball) is about 5,900 feet per minute.
(a.k.a. knuckler, a.k.a. floater, a.k.a. dancer, a.k.a. butterfly ball) (major league average)
The average speed of major league knuckleball pitch is 6,000 feet per minute. Eddie Cicotte, who was later implicated in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, is credited with developing the pitch ca. 1906.
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Gazelle
The speed of a Gazelle is about 4,000 feet per minute.
(for Thomson's Gazelle, a.k.a. Eudorcas thomsoni, a.k.a. "Tommie", a.k.a. "Tommy")
A Thomson's gazelle can reach speeds of up to 4,000 feet per minute. The gazelle's speed doesn't match that of its chief predator, the cheetah, but a gazelle's endurance usually ensures an escape in distances greater than 500 m (0.3 mi).
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Hare
The speed of a Hare is about 4,000 feet per minute.
(for European Brown Hare, a.k.a. Brown Hare, a.k.a. Lepus europaeus, a.k.a. Brown Hare)
The European Hare can run at speeds of up to 4,000 feet per minute. While speed is a factor in their escapes, hares evade their chief predators — wolves, foxes, and golden eagles — by fleeing in a zigzag pattern.
It's about one-tenth as fast as a Greyhound
The speed of a Greyhound is about 3,960 feet per minute.
(a.k.a. English greyhound) (approximate maximum speed)
Greyhounds reach average race speeds of 3,960 feet per minute. Despite their racing prowess, greyhounds are not considered energetic dogs — the typical greyhound race requires the dogs to run for less than 35 seconds.
It's about one-fifth as fast as Secretariat
The speed of Secretariat is about 3,310 feet per minute.
(at Belmont Stakes, 1973)
Setting a record finish, Secretariat ran the Belmont Stakes — a 12 furlong race length — in 2:24, for an average speed of 3,300 feet per minute in 1973. His margin of victory in the race, also a record-setter, was 31 lengths.
It's about one-fourth as fast as Michael Johnson
The speed of Michael Johnson is about 2,037 feet per minute.
(a.k.a. Michael Duane Johnson) (sprinter; 1967-) (at the Atlanta Olympics, 1996)
Setting a record that stood for 12 years, Michael Johnson ran a 200 m in 0:19.32 for an average speed of 2,038 feet per minute at the 1996 Olympics. Johnson was nicknamed "the Man with the Golden shoes" in recognition of the custom footwear worn during these races — a pair of Nikes with a left size of 10.5 and a right size of 11.
It's about one-fourth as fast as Usain Bolt
The speed of Usain Bolt is about 2,030 feet per minute.
(at the Beijing Olympics, 2008) (a.k.a. Usain St. Leo Bolt, OJ, C.D.) (sprinter; 1986-)
Setting a world record, Usain Bolt ran a 100 m in 0:09.69 for an average speed of 2,030 feet per minute at the 2008 Olympics. Furthermore, Bolt's margin of record breaking — 0.03 s — is the largest margin of victory in the history of digital measurements.
It's about three-tenths as fast as Flo-Jo
The speed of Flo-Jo is about 1,845 feet per minute.
(at the Seoul Olympics, 1998) (a.k.a. Florence Griffith-Joyner, a.k.a. Florence Delorez Griffith) (swimmer; 1959-1998)
Setting a world record in 1988, Flo-Jo ran a 200 m in 0:21.34 for an average speed of 1,845 feet per minute. Known as a 200 m runner, Joyner also set a record time in a 100 m race at in 1987.
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