After hunkering down inside during our first winter snow storm this past weekend which was accompanied by 30+ mph winds, I want to talk about the wind. I think I have written about the wind before but after 48 hours of watching the snow swirl around and listening to it howl I’m going to write about it, again. I began to ponder “What exactly causes wind and what is its purpose?” According to Mr. /Ms. Google, wind is moving air caused by differences in air pressure (i.e. weight of air molecules) in the atmosphere. When air that is under high pressure moves toward low pressure air, wind occurs; the greater the difference between the two the stronger the wind. Well, there must have been a huge differential between the two during our weekend storm because the wind was fierce. Did you know there is something called the Beaufort Scale that categorizes wind speed into 12 categories between 1-73 mph? Following an area storm in 2019, 70 mph winds were reported in Sioux Falls doing major damage to area structures, electrical wires and trees; I’m sure that storm was rated a Category 12.
The Plains and Midwest are some of the windiest states in the US with South Dakota ranked the 6th windiest state in the country. This could be why there are so many wind turbines being installed in the area. Four cities in surrounding states even made the Top 10 List of Windiest Cities in the US (#1-Dodge City, KS, #6-Rochester, MN, #9-Wichita, KS and #10-Fargo, ND). I love following the weather which changes rapidly here and have always thought being a meteorologist would be an interesting career. As such, as I was doing my research for this article I tried to get to the bottom of rapid weather changes and area wind patterns but quickly got bogged down in weather mumbo-jumbo so I guess I’ll stick with my existing retirement hobbies.
I think we have finally learned to “batten down the hatches” to minimize all the clanging and banging during high winds and haven’t lost any outdoor items for a while; although our caged copper bird feeder that holds grape jelly for the orioles was at risk until Paul bundled up and took all the feeders down for the season. As much as too much wind can be irritating and cause all kinds of inconveniences and damage, it also has some upsides. At an environmental level wind maintains healthy forest ecosystems, provides seed and pollen dispersion benefitting plant and animal life and provides clean renewable energy. On a more personal level wind cools us off when we are hot, clears the air of allergens/pollutants and, of course, keeps our colorful kites flying in the springtime. So let’s celebrate the wind as there is always “more to come” here in the heartland!