Why is the Fall so windy?

SOUTHERN COLORADO (KXRM) — If you’ve noticed more windy days lately, you’re not imagining it.

Fall is one of the windiest times of year across much of the country, including here in Colorado. The reason lies in the changing dynamics of the atmosphere as we transition from summer to a new season.

Wind is the result of air moving from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. This pressure difference develops because of the uneven heating of Earth’s surface.

When one area of the surface heats more than another, the air above it becomes warmer and less dense. Meanwhile, cooler, denser air nearby exerts higher pressure. The atmosphere naturally works to balance these differences, and the motion of air between the two areas is what we experience as wind.

During the fall, the contrast between warm and cold air masses becomes much sharper. For example, a cold front may separate lingering summer-like air from a much cooler air mass moving south from northern areas, like Canada and the Pacific Northwest. That strong temperature gradient produces a significant pressure difference, which leads to stronger winds at the surface.

In addition, the jet stream begins to dip farther south during this time of year. This allows stronger storm systems to form and pull cold air masses down into the central and southern United States. The tighter the pressure gradient around these systems, the stronger the winds that develop at the surface.

Spring and fall are both known as “transition seasons,” when the atmosphere is adjusting between extremes of summer heat and winter cold. These transitions are prime times for more frequent and gusty winds, as strong temperature contrasts drive the large-scale weather systems responsible for moving air across the continent!

So, when the leaves start to fall and the wind starts to howl, it’s all part of the natural shift in the changing of seasons, powered by the science of pressure, temperature, and motion in the atmosphere.