- In Part 1 we saw that our average windspeed is about 13km/h, and that windspeeds have dropped since the 1960s.
- In Part 2 we saw that windspeeds vary throughout the year, and typically peak in May.
- In Part 3 we saw that hourly windspeeds of 30km/h or more are pretty uncommon (4% of the time), at 40km/h are very uncommon (0.8% of the time), and at 50km/h are extremely uncommon (0.1% of the time, or about 9 hours each year).
Today we are going to take a close look at Edmonton's windy days.
Days with Windspeeds of 40km/h+
The top section is a count of the days each year with any hourly windspeeds of 40km/h or more. The 1960s stand out with an average of more than 40 days per year at the 40km/h mark at both stations. After that things quickly drop off to 20 days or less per year, and for Blatchford the 1980s were very low down at 10 days per year. Blatchford's data is missing for 2005-2015, and after 2015 its numbers are very low, although the International's are still around the 20 day mark.
The lower left section of the chart shows the windiest hour of each day, with highlights for any at 40km/h or more. So far in 2020 the International has recorded 17 km/h days, while Blatchford has only had 1: April 26th at 41km/h.
The lower right section shows the windspeeds and gusts for a specific date: in this case April 26th, 2020 with Blatchford peaking at 41km/h and the International at 42km/h
By clicking through the chart you can select different years, different dates, different windspeeds, etc.
Days with Windspeeds of 60km/h+
For another example, here are the 60km/h+ days.
The 1960s stand out again, with a average of 3 days per year. For every other decade 60km/h+ are much less frequent, if they happen at all.
The most recent year with an hourly windspeed of 60km/h+ was 2017, which is shown at the bottom. On May 24, 2017 the International hit 73km/h at 3pm, while Blatchford's windiest hour reached 48km/h.
Days with Gusts of 80km/h+
Here we have switched from hourly Windspeeds to daily Gusts of 80km/h or more. So far in 2020 the International has recorded 2 days with gusts that high (April 26th & 30th) and Blatchford hasn't had any.
Right now the International averages about 3 days per year with 80km/h gusts, and back in the 1960s it was up at 12 days per year. In the 1960s Blatchford averaged 8 gusts days per year, and unfortunately its recent years are unreliable because the wind Gust data is missing for 1995-2015.
Days with Gusts of 100km/h+
In recent years the International has hit the 100km/h mark:
- on May 24, 2017 at 100km/h
- on January 15, 2014 at 106km/h
- on December 19, 2004 at 100km/h
- and Blatchford hit 102km/h on July 20th, 2015
Before that we have to go back to 1997, and before that 1987 for the International. And for Blatchford we have to go all the way back to 1977 (although again, 1995-2005 as missing).
And one last time we see that the 1960s were the peak for gusty days, with Blatchford hitting 100km/h about once per year, and the International way up at about 5 days per year for 1965-1968.
So in Part 1 we saw that our average windspeeds today are lower than they were when records started in the 1960s. And today we have also seen that the 1960s recorded consistently more really windy days than what we are used to today.
Continued in Wind Part 5: Windy Dates & Days
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