How fast is 120 kilometers per hour?
It's about one-and-one-tenth times as fast as a Hurricane
The speed of a Hurricane is about 119 kilometers per hour.
(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 119 kph. 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 310 kph (192.63 mph).
It's about as fast as a Curveball (baseball)
The speed of a Curveball (baseball) is about 120 kilometers per hour.
(a.k.a. hook, a.k.a. hammer, a.k.a. yakker) (major league average)
The average speed of major league curveball pitch is 120 kph. 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-and-one-tenth times as fast as a Cheetah
The speed of a Cheetah is about 110.50 kilometers per hour.
(Acinonyx jubatus)
The cheetah can reach speeds of up to 101 - 120 km/h in short bursts. From a crouching position, the cheetah can attain these speeds in just 2.25 seconds.
It's about one-and-one-tenth times as fast as a Knuckleball (baseball)
The speed of a Knuckleball (baseball) is about 110 kilometers per hour.
(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 110 kph. Eddie Cicotte, who was later implicated in the 1919 Black Sox scandal, is credited with developing the pitch ca. 1906.
It's about four-fifths as fast as a Fastball (baseball)
The speed of a Fastball (baseball) is about 150 kilometers per hour.
(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 150 kph. 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 three-fifths as fast as a Skydiver (belly-to-earth)
The speed of a Skydiver (belly-to-earth) is about 190 kilometers per hour.
(Belly-to-Earth orientation, average conditions, terminal velocity)
A belly-to-Earth oriented skydiver's terminal velocity is about 190 kph. 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 three-fifths as fast as a Tornado
The speed of a Tornado is about 198.7540 kilometers per hour.
(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 177.02784 kph and 220.480128 kph. 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-and-two-thirds times as fast as a Greyhound
The speed of a Greyhound is about 72.40 kilometers per hour.
(a.k.a. English greyhound) (approximate maximum speed)
Greyhounds reach average race speeds of 72.4 kph. 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 twice as fast as Secretariat
The speed of Secretariat is about 60.50 kilometers per hour.
(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 60.4 kph in 1973. His margin of victory in the race, also a record-setter, was 31 lengths.
It's about two times as fast as a Gazelle
The speed of a Gazelle is about 70 kilometers per hour.
(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 80 kph. 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 two times as fast as a Hare
The speed of a Hare is about 70 kilometers per hour.
(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 72 kph. 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 half as fast as a Skydiver (headfirst)
The speed of a Skydiver (headfirst) is about 260 kilometers per hour.
(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 260 kph. 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 two-fifths as fast as a Helicopter
The speed of a Helicopter is about 284 kilometers per hour.
(for AH-64A Apache, a.k.a. Hughes Model 77) (maximum cruise speed)
The AH-64 helicopter, one of the primary helicopters used by the United States Army, flies at a top cruise speed of 284 kph. The AH-64 is the primary military helicopter of several nations including the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, and the Netherlands.
It's about two-fifths as fast as an Arrow (archery)
The speed of an Arrow (archery) is about 322.80 kilometers per hour.
A 250 gram arrow will reach speeds of approximately 322.8 kph when fired from a 60-lb, 28-inch draw bow . Archeological evidence from the Ahrensburg valley near Hamburg, Germany indicates that arrows have been used since at least 11 to 12,000 years ago.
It's about two-fifths as fast as a Lamborghini Gallardo
The speed of a Lamborghini Gallardo is about 320 kilometers per hour.
(for Gallardo LP 550-2, a.k.a. Valentino Balboni, 2009 model)
The Lamborghini Gallardo LP550-2 model Gallardo has a top speed of 320 kph. The Gallardo can reach speeds of 100 kph in just 3.9 seconds.