It’s no secret that it has be REALLY WINDY across Nebraska and Iowa in the month of April, and really, for the first few months of 2022.
Here’s a look at some stats about Omaha’s weather so far in 2022 that I’ve gathered from data from the National Weather Service website. Our average wind speed each from has slowly increased from January through April (so far). The average wind speed in January was 11.4 mph with the average wind speed in April (through the 25th) being 14.9 mph. For reference, our average wind speeds for Jan, Feb, March, and April in 2021 were 9.7, 9.2, 12.1, and 11.6 mph.
We’ve also seen a lot of days with wind gusts greater than or equal to 30 mph each month. In January, that number was 16 days. It was 17 and 19 days in February and March, respectively. And through the first 25 days of April, there have been 19 days with wind gusts greater than or equal to 30 mph. Max wind speeds for each month, in order, are: 60, 50, 54, and 63 mph. For reference, these numbers for the same months of 2021 were 11, 5, 21, 19.
So, what’s causing these windy days? A couple of different things. We are very dry, which actually can help create more wind by allowing us to heat up more during the day (strong winds also help dry out soil, so it’s kind of a lose-lose situation between those two). It also has to do with the current set up of the jet stream bringing us system after system each week. All of these systems have brought in strong winds, whether they’ve been passing just to our north or south or barreling straight through the Heartland. In fact, another system has its sights set on our area for the end of this week and into the early weekend. (Sound familiar? It should, it’s been the pattern for a hot minute now.) Make sure to stay up to date on the forecast as this system could again bring rain and some strong to severe storms.
