Climate Change Increasing Extreme Wind Events in Midwest

Straight-line winds cause billions of dollars of damage to Midwest states and have been on the increase during the last 40 years. A new study from the National Science Foundation (NSF) National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) published in Nature Climate Change suggests that the increase has been caused by climate change.

Straight-line winds are winds that flow out of thunderstorms. They are characterized by starting from virtually no wind to gusts of 60 to 80 mph, potentially causing serious damage to buildings, power grids and people.

The winds are caused by downdrafts flowing from thunderstorms. During the year 2020, a derecho — another name for a straight-line windstorm — caused an estimated $11 billion in damage in the Midwest.

Straight-line winds usually occur when rain and hail at high altitudes evaporates and cools the ambient air. That air then plummets and spawns intense winds. In conducting the study, NCAR scientist Andreas Prein calculated that climate change is likely increasing the temperature difference between the cool air in downdrafts and the warm surrounding air.

“As findings show, it is crucial to incorporate the increasing risk of straight-line winds when planning for the impacts of climate change so we can ensure the future resiliency of infrastructure to this frequently neglected peril,” Prein said.