Windstorm
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What is a windstorm?
A windstorm is a storm with high winds that can cause property damage. Wind speeds typically exceed 55 km (34 miles) per hour and may be attributed to gusts (short bursts) or sustained winds.
Windstorms can result from thunderstorms or large-scale weather systems and may last minutes or days. Derechos are straight-line windstorms caused by thunderstorm gust fronts. Other long-lasting windstorms can result from large differences in atmospheric pressure or strong jet-stream winds. Winter storms can also cause windstorms, such as nor'easters in the northeastern United States.
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What causes a windstorm to occur?
Windstorms, which can last from minutes to days, are caused by large differences in atmospheric pressure and strong jet-stream winds. Horizontal pressure differences accelerate surface winds as air moves from high to low pressure areas. Additionally, the mixing of stronger jet-stream winds can result in strong, gusty winds at ground level.
Intense winter storms often cause long-lasting windstorms due to large horizontal pressure differences and strong jet-stream winds. Cold fronts can also produce windstorms as they pass and afterward as colder air flows. In arid regions, windstorms can create dust and sandstorms. When windstorms occur over snow-covered ground, blizzard conditions can arise if winds reach 35 miles per hour or greater for at least three hours, reducing visibility.
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How do meteorologists measure wind speed during a windstorm?
During a windstorm, meteorologists employ various instruments and techniques to measure wind speed. The most common device is the anemometer, which measures airflow speed. The revolving-cup electric anemometer, widely used for wind-speed measurements, features revolving cups that drive an electric generator. The generator's output is linked to an electric meter calibrated to display wind speed.
Another method involves Doppler weather radar, which measures the frequency shift in radar signals reflected by precipitation. This shift relates to the radial velocity of precipitation blown by the wind, helping identify rotating weather patterns in storms like tornadoes and hurricanes. Radiosondes, balloon-borne instruments, also play a role. Tracked by radar, they determine wind velocity by measuring temperature, pressure, and humidity and transmitting the data back to a ground station.
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What are some different types of windstorms?
Windstorms are strong winds that can cause damage to trees and buildings, with speeds typically exceeding 55 km (34 miles) per hour. While tornadoes and tropical cyclones also bring wind damage, they are usually classified separately from general windstorms.
Different types of windstorms include:
* Blizzards Severe weather events marked by low temperatures, strong winds (over 56 km/hr), and heavy snow, reducing visibility to 0.4 km or less.
* Derechos Straight-line windstorms caused by thunderstorm downbursts, with gusts exceeding 93 km/hr and damage paths spanning over 400 km.
* Dust devils Small, rotating columns of air that pick up dust and debris, common in arid regions.
* Katabatic winds Also known as fall winds or downslope winds, these occur when cold air accelerates downslope, often near mountains.
* Tropical cyclones Intense circular storms originating over warm tropical oceans, characterized by low pressure, high winds, and heavy rain. Hurricanes and typhoons are regional names for strong tropical cyclones.8 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How can windstorms affect people and the environment?
Windstorms, characterized by wind speeds exceeding 55 km/hour, can significantly impact people and the environment. These storms can last from a few minutes to several days, causing damage through gusts or sustained winds.
Effects on People
- Injuries and fatalities High winds can cause injuries and, in severe cases, fatalities.
- Mental health Disasters can lead to higher instances of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Property damage Windstorms can damage buildings, and falling trees can cause harm to homes.
- Displacement Destruction of property may lead to displacement and overcrowding in shelters.
Effects on Environment
- Habitat disruption High winds can blow down tens of millions of trees, causing widespread landscape devastation.
- Wind power challenges Wind farms, while providing energy, can face challenges such as noise, visual disturbance, and impacts on wildlife.
- Dust and sandstorms Windstorms can create dust storms and sandstorms in arid and semiarid regions.
- Environmental exposure Lack of shelter can lead to environmental exposure.
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What safety measures should people take during a windstorm?
During a windstorm, secure your property by removing or trimming trees close to your house to prevent falling damage. Also, be aware of potential natural disasters common to your area and ensure your home insurance policy provides sufficient coverage to rebuild your home and replace belongings. Taking these steps before a windstorm can minimize risk and may entitle you to an insurance premium discount.
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Windstorm, a wind that is strong enough to cause at least light damage to trees and buildings and may or may not be accompanied by precipitation. Wind speeds during a windstorm typically exceed 55 km (34 miles) per hour. Wind damage can be attributed to gusts (short bursts of high-speed winds) or longer periods of stronger sustained winds. Although tornadoes and tropical cyclones also produce wind damage, they are usually classified separately.
Windstorms may last for just a few minutes when caused by downbursts from thunderstorms, or they may last for hours (and even several days) when they result from large-scale weather systems. A windstorm that travels in a straight line and is caused by the gust front (the boundary between descending cold air and warm air at the surface) of an approaching thunderstorm is called a derecho. Gustavus Hinrichs, a physics professor from the University of Iowa and founder of the Iowa Weather Service, applied the term derecho—a Spanish word that means “straight” or “right”—to straight-line winds in 1888. Derechos are capable of causing widespread damage and landscape devastation. For example, the winds of a derecho occurring in northern Minnesota, U.S., on July 4, 1999, peaked at or near 160 km (100 miles) per hour and blew down tens of millions of trees.
Longer-period windstorms have two main causes: (1) large differences in atmospheric pressure across a region and (2) strong jet-stream winds overhead. Horizontal pressure differences may accelerate the surface winds substantially as air travels from a region of higher atmospheric pressure to one of lower. In addition, the vertical turbulent mixing of stronger jet-stream winds aloft can produce strong gusty winds at ground level.
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Intense winter storms are frequently the cause of long-lasting windstorms. Such winter low-pressure systems have large horizontal pressure differences and are always accompanied by strong jet-stream winds aloft. In the northeastern United States, windstorms that occur as particularly strong low-pressure systems and move northward along the Atlantic Coast are called “nor’easters.”
Cold fronts associated with such intense low-pressure systems can produce windstorms both as they pass and for a period afterward as colder air flows overhead. Such movement of cold air aloft is particularly effective at causing the downward mixing of jet-stream winds. Windstorms create dust storms and sandstorms in arid and semiarid regions. In North Africa, these cold frontal windstorms are often referred to as haboobs.
Blizzard conditions can occur when the windstorms pass over snow-covered ground. The U.S. National Weather Service issues blizzard warnings when sustained winds or frequent gusts are forecast to be 56 km (35 miles) per hour or greater for at least three hours with sufficient blowing snow to reduce visibility to less than 400 metres (1,300 feet). This type of windstorm also produces dangerous wind chills. A wind speed of 55 km (34 miles) per hour with an air temperature of –6.5 °C (20.3 °F), for example, produces a loss of body heat equivalent to what occurs in calm winds with an air temperature of –29 °C (–20.2 °F). When cold fronts pass over mountains, cold air accelerates even more as it moves downslope. Downslope winds are called fall winds or katabatic winds. Windstorms of this type are called boras or downslope windstorms.
Warm air flowing poleward to the east of intense low-pressure systems can also produce windstorms. In North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula such a windstorm, called khamsin, can transport large amounts of dust and sand northward. When the winds blow over mountains, the warm air is heated even further by compression as it moves toward lower altitudes. A strong, warm windstorm is called a chinook in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada, a foehn in the European Alps, and a zonda in the Andes Mountains of Argentina. In 1972 a chinook in Boulder, Colo., U.S., produced a wind gust that briefly reached 215 km (134 miles) per hour and caused extensive damage. Locations adjacent to large mountain barriers in the middle and higher latitudes are noted as being particularly vulnerable to downslope windstorms. At lower latitudes these intense low-pressure systems and the associated wind effects of a strong jet stream do not normally occur.
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