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Expert: - 2/8/2003


Question
One time I recall hearing that in cold weather wind has more "force" than in warm weather. For example, wind at, say, 20 mph in the winter is "stronger", more forceful, than 20 mph in the summer.

When I mentioned this to my son-in-law, he said he can't see why that should be so.

Could you shed some light on the subject?

Thank you,

Milton Steinberg  

Answer
Milton,
A 20 mph wind is a 20 mph wind, regardless of the temperature, and it always has the same "force". Obviously, if the air is much colder, then it will certainly feel much more harsh outside, given the same amount of wind. That, of course, is where the wind chill comes into play.
In general, weather systems tend to be stronger in the winter than in the summer (barring hurricanes and strong tropical storms). That is because of greater temperature contrasts, and much stronger winds aloft. So, on any given day in the winter, the winds could potentially blow stronger than on any given day in the summer.
I hope this helped you out.

Sincerely,

Dave Dombek
Expert Senior Meteorologist
AccuWeather.com

Accuweather

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Dave Dombek

Expertise

A weather enthusiast from an early age, Dave Dombek is now an AccuWeather meteorology expert.

Experience

Dave received his B.S. degree in meteorology from the Pennsylvania State University in May of 1980. Dave joined AccuWeather in July of 1980, beginning in the Snow Warning Service late that fall after his few month period of training. Within a short period of time, Dave got involved in radio broadcasting. He spent over 25 years broadcasting forecasts on radio stations throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states, and has also done newspaper forecasts and television briefings. Currently, Dave is the lead television briefer for all of AccuWeather's television clients in the northeatern quarter of the nation. In his daily forecasting routine, Dave helps coordinate the forecasts in the northeastern part of the country. He is also the Director of Forecaster Hiring and is in charge of hiring new meteorologists. Finally, Dave is the supervisor of the climatology department at AccuWeather. An avid outdoorsman, Dave enjoys hunting and trout fishing. He also enjoys watching football and is a student of history and current events. If Dave doesn't already have enough on his plate, he is married with two teenage daughters. He also leads a small Messianic congregation in the State College, Pa. area.

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