This morning many citizens of Central Canada and the Great Lakes states woke up to shaking trees and swinging power lines. But in some big cities in the world, boisterous weather is more common than not.
Here’s a look at urban centres where kite-flying conditions are great, but keeping your hairdo together is a regular struggle:
Wellington, New Zealand
Down in the southern hemisphere, surfers flock to Wellington, which is arguably the windiest city on the planet. Winds frequently reach speeds of 40 knots and the location sits on what is known as the “River of Wind.” In 1959 and 1962 the city recorded gusts of 248km/h (154 mph).
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Sorry, Chicago! The breeziest urban centre in the United States is not the Second City but Boston. Beantown’s average annual wind speed is about 19 km/h (12 mph). If you’re curious as to why Chicago’s known as “The Windy City,” word has it that the reputation was made in the Victorian-era, when the city was plagued by long-winded politicians.
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
The Newfoundland capital is not only the windiest city in the country, with an average annual wind speed of 24 km/h (15 mph), but it also has has the greatest number of days per year of freezing precipitation (38 days) and the greatest number of days per year with fog (121 days).
Rio Gallegos, Argentina
The largest settlement of the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz frequently get gusts of about 26 knots or even 53 knots in winter. The average wind speed in Rio Gallegos sits at about 26 km/h (16 mph).
Dodge City, Kansas, United States
The city’s average wind-speed sits at about 28 km/m (14 mph) but it’s the frequent twisters that will really make you want to get out of Dodge. After all, the city of 28,000 is located in America’s infamous Tornado Alley.
