Everyone Knows It’s Windy
The weather is always a topic of conversation. Today the sun was shining and the wind was minimal, but I felt cold. Even though it’s been chilly this past week, the temperature has actually been just a little lower than the normal range for Long Island for April. At this time of year, average low is 44 degrees and average high is 62 degrees. Morning have been cold with temperatures dipping down below 40 degrees, but afternoon temperatures have been up above the normal average.
This week felt even colder to me because of the wind. It’s been crazy windy. It’s been so windy that as I walked to school in the morning and then back to the train station in the afternoon I got pushed backwards (that’s some strong gusts of wind since I’m not what you call petite). It took a lot of effort and energy to walk as the wind gusts kicked up. Besides making it hard to walk, wind can cause lot of damage. Strong gusty winds have caused problems such uprooting trees, flipping over semi truck trailers, and ripping shingles and siding off a house.
A Short Wind Primer
Q: So what causes wind to blow?
A: The differences in air pressure.
Q: What causes differences in air pressure?
A: The way the Earth is warmed - which is basically unevenly. Where the sun warms the air more low pressure areas are produced; where the air is warmed less colder high pressure areas are produced.
Q: So how does different pressure create wind?
A: Just like in a room warm air rises and cool air moves down. The warm air is considered to have low pressure since the molecules are spread out (think of this pressure as you being on the beach at Coney Island with only 10 other people. There’s plenty of room for everyone to spread out and relax.) On the other hand, the cold air has high pressure since it is tightly packed (think of the pressure you might feel if you are in a packed subway car). These two areas of pressure push against one another (called the pressure gradient force), which results in the rush of air we call wind.
Q: So why is it just a little windy sometimes and really crazy windy other times?
A: Well, it all depends on how different the two air pressure forces are. The greater the difference the more crazy windy the conditions are.
On the road trip I recently took through the southwest the wind gusts we encountered in Page, Arizona was by far the strongest. If you look it up on the internet, you’ll find that average wind speed in this part of the country in April is 8.9 miles per hour (mph). Now that might not seem like a lot. A cheap box fan you may have in your house can create wind that moves over 27 mph. But here’s the difference - the box fan is blowing air in one stream. Step to the right or left and you no longer feel the wind. But when you are outside in windy conditions, you could be getting pushed from all directions. You can’t sidestep the gust of wind. Secondly, it’s dry and dusty in Page, Arizona. As that wind is blowing, sand is also being moved with it. That sand winds up in your ears, mouth, eyes, and anywhere else it wants to go. And that’s exactly what happened to us. I still felt like I had grit in my teeth even after we were 100 miles away from Page.
So the next time you decide on a vacation destination, besides checking the average temperature for the month you are going, you may want to look at the average wind speed for that time. If you’re planning a paragliding vacation or love flying kites, you’ll want to go during windy season or pick a destination known for wind (like Cheyenne, Wyoming, where it is always windy). But if you want to relax on a nice sandy beach, you may opt for more calm conditions.
Here’s a few song titles inspired by wind… click on the link and enjoy!
Why Does The Wind - Tracey Thorn
Candle in the Wind - Elton John
They Call the Wind Maria - Paint Your Wagon cast
Windy - The Association
Blowing in the Wind - Bob Dylan