DAYTON — Happy Wednesday, everyone! Meteorologist Nick Dunn checking in with you on this windy afternoon. I hope you are enjoying the milder temperatures out there!
As of just before 4:00 PM, we had wind gusts of 25-35 miles per hour. For much of the day, the winds have been out of the southwest. This allowed us to warm up quite a bit into the middle 60s. As this front passes through, the winds are turning northwest. Expect the winds to subside after sunset this evening!
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A few of you have asked me why it has been so windy lately. Is there anything special to it? Nope! Digging into some historical data we find that the average sustained (constant) wind speeds increase to 10.9 miles per hour for the month of November. This starts a six month period where the sustained wind speeds are at 10 miles per hour or greater on average through April.
One of the reasons we see the winds increase this time of year is due to increased frequency of weather systems and a tighter pressure gradient. The Fall and Winter have a track record of stronger systems, which means areas of low pressure have a larger wind field to work with as well.
Additionally, as wind flows from areas of high pressure towards areas of lower pressure, sometimes we are stuck in a “wedge” between the two areas of pressure changes. This allows for increased wind speeds like we have today.
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We are not done with the gusty winds this week! In fact, the next system on Friday will bring gusts of 30-40 miles per hour. The wind direction will be from the southwest again, which would mean a milder day. However, this system has more moisture to work with. That means we have more clouds and rain, which will keep the temperatures down a bit.
In conclusion, get use to some windy days! This also means colder wind chills are on the way!
