Weather can define a region. Some regions are hot and humid, while others are cold and rainy. People often take this into consideration when moving so that they can live in the city that best suits their tastes. Those who like the heat may move to Phoenix or Miami, while those who like the cold may move to Duluth or Seattle.
However, one aspect of weather that is often overlooked is wind. Wind can affect temperatures, create dramatic storms, and even shape the climate of entire cities. But which city is the windiest?
If you are considering moving to a new area, we will do our best to support you. Redfin has compiled a list of the windiest cities in the United States to help you navigate with confidence. See if any of these cities are right for you.
How to determine the windiest city
For the purpose of determining the “windiest” cities, this list focuses on cities with the highest annual average wind speeds. Many cities experience frequent strong wind gusts, such as those caused by tornadoes and hurricanes, but are otherwise relatively calm. These don’t work. This list focuses on consistency throughout the year.
As a result, cities in the Great Plains from central Texas to South Dakota (known as Tornado Alley) and in the Southeast from Louisiana to Kentucky (known as Dixie Alley) are not on the list. Similarly, most hurricane-hit cities along the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast are also not on the list. However, wind definitely plays a big role in these cities, so be sure to do your research and understand the wind risks in your city before you move.
Read on to see Redfin’s ranking of the windiest cities in the U.S. with populations of 100,000 or more. Afterwards, we will also mention the cities with the weakest winds.
What is the windiest city in America?
1. Amarillo, Texas
Average wind speed: 19.9 miles per hour Highest recorded wind speed: 84 miles per hour (1949)
Amarillo, Texas is the windiest major city in the United States. Due to its location in the southwestern part of the Great Plains, there are always strong winds. The plains are particularly prone to winds due to unstable air pressure and flat, dry, forestless terrain. With fewer obstacles, the wind has time to pick up speed. In addition, the plains experience strong spring winds driven by nocturnal low-level jets.
The city’s wind records occurred during a typically mild winter, when powerful gusts from storms moving over the Rocky Mountains brought fierce winds to the region. This is a fairly common phenomenon throughout the Western Plains. The low pressure system moves west over high mountains, then accelerates (and rotates) downhill due to strong temperatures and elevation differences.
So why not move to the windiest city in the country? Amarillo is a true cowboy town along Route 66, known for its Texas-sized steaks, famous Starlight Ranch, and horseback riding in Palo Duro Canyon. It is being
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2. Rochester, Minnesota
Average wind speed: 19.0 miles per hour Highest wind speed on record: 114 miles per hour (2019)
Rochester is the second windiest city in the United States, beating neighboring Chicago and Minneapolis by a wide margin. In contrast to other windy cities, Rochester experiences its strongest winds in the winter due to cold fronts from Canada. This is often followed by warm southerly winds from the Rocky Mountains.
Interestingly, however, the region’s highest wind speed of 114 miles per hour occurred in August, which is on average the calmest month. The winds originated from a derecho, a band of widespread, severe storms and thunderstorms that can cause tornado-like damage. Although derechos are fairly rare, they are most common in the Midwest during the summer and can affect all cities on this list.
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3. Lubbock, Texas
Average wind speed: 19.0 miles/hour Highest recorded wind speed: 90 miles/hour (1952)
Lubbock, Texas, just 190 miles south of Amarillo, is the third windiest city in the country. Lubbock is mostly flat, dry grasslands, oil wells, and ranches, and the area is prone to strong thunderstorms, unstable atmospheric pressure, and winds from the flat terrain. The city’s climate is similar to nearby Amarillo.
Lubbock is best known for its agriculture, education, and entertainment, with Texas Tech University and Joyland Amusement Park being top destinations. Dubbed the hub city of Midwest Texas, it has a rich ranching and musical heritage, and a museum to prove it.
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4. Corpus Christi, Texas
Average wind speed: 19.7 miles/hour Highest wind speed recorded: 161 miles/hour (1970)
Corpus Christi, Texas, one of the hottest cities in the United States, is also the fourth windiest city in the country. In contrast to Midwestern cities, Corpus Christi’s winds are generated by consistent summer breezes from the Gulf of Mexico and winter and spring storms from the west and northwest. Winds in this area are steady year-round, with wind speeds typically between 10 and 13 miles per hour.
The strongest wind gusts in Corpus Christi were from a hurricane (Celia in 1970) and were much higher than other cities on this list. Other cities may have seen strong winds from tornadoes, but modern instruments are not durable enough to withstand such extreme wind speeds. Although hurricanes are rare in Corpus Christi, they can be devastating.
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5. Wichita, Kansas
Average wind speed: 19.5 miles/hour Highest wind speed recorded: 161 miles/hour (1993)
Wichita is the fifth windiest city, in line with other Midwestern cities. Spring is the windiest season, summer is the mildest, and strong thunderstorms are common during most of the year. One such thunderstorm in the summer of 1993 produced the highest wind speeds ever recorded in the city.
Known as the “Sky Capital of the World,” Wichita is the central hub of Kansas and home to major aircraft manufacturers such as Cessna and Beechcraft. The city is also known for its civil rights history, botanical gardens, and annual festivals such as Riverfest.
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6. Boston, Massachusetts
Average wind speed: 18.5 miles/hour Recorded maximum wind speed: 90 miles/hour (2019)
Boston, Massachusetts is the sixth windiest city and the only one on the East Coast to make the list. Due to its northern location, the city receives very steady winds from the cold North Atlantic year-round, although it can experience stronger storms in the fall and winter. The most powerful storms occur when cold air from Canada collides with warm air from the southern Atlantic, bringing heavy rain, snow, and wind as they move north (from warmer to colder regions). These fairly common and infamous storms are called “nor’easters.”
Boston’s strongest wind gusts were actually from the 2019 “Southeast”, similar to the well-known Northeast but caused by an excess of warm air from the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. Sue’s Easter is often seen from fall to early winter.
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7. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Average wind speed: 19.3 miles/hour Highest wind speed recorded: 151 miles/hour (2011)
Oklahoma is known for its flat terrain, strong winds, and tornado-prone areas, and Oklahoma City is no exception. In fact, when an EF-5 tornado struck near Bridge Creek in 1999, the Oklahoma City area unofficially had the strongest wind speeds on Earth. The tornado’s wind speed was measured at 301 mph (+/-20 mph), but this is an approximation and not an official record.
Like other Midwestern cities, Oklahoma City receives ample wind from unstable barometric pressure and evening thunderstorms. There is little record wind gust data for this region, but the most accurate data comes from close encounters with nearby tornadoes.
The state capital is known for its large zoo, Bricktown Entertainment District, and gorgeous Myriad Botanical Gardens. Sports are also an extremely important part of life.
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8. Wichita Falls, Texas
Average wind speed: 19.2 miles per hour Highest wind speed on record: Unknown
Wichita Falls, Texas, is the eighth windiest city in the United States and one of the most tornado-prone (although cities in Louisiana and Mississippi may currently own that title). ). Like Amarillo, Lubbock, and other Midwestern Texas cities, Wichita experiences its strongest winds in the spring and suffers from thunderstorms in the summer.
Wichita Falls has experienced multiple strong storms, including F-5 and F-4 tornadoes. These storms can produce winds in excess of 250 mph, but measurements are approximate and unofficial. The strongest official winds are likely due to severe thunderstorms, but records are incomplete.
Wichita Falls homes for sale | Wichita Falls homes for rent | Wichita Falls apartments for rent
9. Fargo, North Dakota
Average wind speed: 19.1 miles/hour Highest wind speed recorded: 110 miles/hour (1999)
Fargo, North Dakota is the ninth windiest and one of the coldest cities in the United States. Although it is further north than the other cities on this list, it is still exceptionally flat, with great pressure instability and steady, strong winds.
Fargo’s highest wind speeds are likely due to the giant Boundary Waters-Canadian derecho, which ran from North Dakota through southern Canada and back to New England, disappearing off the coast of Maine.
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10. Abilene, Texas
Average wind speed: 17.9 miles per hour Highest wind speed record: 78 miles per hour (1983)
Abilene, Texas, rounds out the list as the 10th windiest city in the country. Like nearby Lubbock and Wichita Falls, Abilene also experiences excessive wind due to its flat terrain, unstable atmosphere, and strong summer storms.
Abilene’s nickname, “The Picture Book Capital of America,” lends credence to Texas charm and hospitality, as well as the nation’s first museum of picture book art. The authentic Old Western culture and flat, wooded landscape give this city a unique feel that many people love to call home.
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Top 10 least windy cities in the US
Some people may want to choose a place to live based on how mild the weather is. If so, here is a list of major cities in the US with the least wind:
Los Angeles, CA: 1.9 mph Chattanooga, TN: 5.0 mph Tallahassee, FL: 5.5 mph Augusta, GA: 5.5 mph Long Beach, CA: 5.6 mph Montgomery, AL: 5.9 mph Macon, GA: 5.9 mph Gainesville, FL: 6.0 mph Columbus, GA: 6.0 mph Knoxville, TN: 9.0 mph
What is the highest wind speed ever recorded in the United States?
Mount Washington, the tallest mountain in the Appalachians, holds the U.S. wind speed record of 231 miles per hour in 1934. This was also a world record for over 60 years until Tropical Cyclone Olivia (253 mph) broke the record in 1996. Located in northern New Hampshire, Mount Washington is consistently very windy, with annual average wind speeds of 35.8 miles per hour, more than twice as fast as any other city in the United States. country.
Tornadoes can actually produce some of the strongest winds in the world, and their destructive power is so strong that measuring equipment is destroyed when a tornado crosses its path. For this reason, tornadoes are excluded from wind speed records because their measurements are unreliable. However, experts still estimate tornado wind speeds using mobile Doppler radar, which measures the speed of dust and debris within a tornado.
How is the wind changing?
As the world warms and climate change continues, average wind speeds may actually decrease. This is due to rising average temperatures, especially in traditionally cool places. Wind is usually caused by changes in pressure and temperature, from low to high pressure and from cold to warm. So when cold places become warmer, the temperature differences that drive global wind patterns shrink and wind speeds slow.
However, the opposite is true for severe storms, which are expected to increase further in the future. This is especially true in hurricanes, which rely on warm water for growth. As ocean temperatures rise, hurricanes are predicted to become more frequent and more destructive. Tornadoes will also be slightly more likely to occur, potentially increasing the impact on infrastructure.
methodology
This list includes annual wind speed data for major cities with a population of 100,000 or more. Comparative climate data for 2023 was obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its subsidiary National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI).
