Why Is It So Windy in West Texas this Time of Year?

As winter slowly turns into spring, Lubbock has entered the dreaded phase of our weather where every day is much more windy than usual.

West Texas is considered the windiest place in America, and once you’ve lived here long enough, you understand why. Although we all come to accept the wind and all the trouble that comes with it, not everyone understands why it happens.

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The simple reason behind West Texas’ gusty weather simply has to do with its location. You see, wind happens when there is an imbalance of pressure. This imbalance is caused by air masses of two different temperatures coming together.

Due to West Texas being located in between colder air from the north, and warm air from the equator, we get lots of air pressure imbalances, leading to the wind we are all familiar with. Especially during the months we move from one season to another, like winter to spring.

The same phenomenon is the same reason tornados develop. Warm and cold air coming together can create such severe imbalances that rotations occur, leading to wind funnels that turn into deadly tornados.

This is why we see so much wind and the most tornados in Texas from April through June as the weather warms up. Texas is also the state with the most recorded tornados seeing 8,007 funnel clouds reaching the ground between 1951 and 2011.

As we move into tornado season, be sure to stay up to date on proper safety and always keep an emergency kit on hand in case disaster strikes.