Together with The City of Wichita

You don’t have to wait long after Open Streets ICT - WSU because Open Streets ICT - Nomar is back and better than ever.

Join us for this exciting, FREE community event designed to inspire healthy, active living while bringing our diverse neighborhoods together.  

On Sunday, May 3rd on 21st St from NoMar Market at Broadway Ave to Woodland Park, one mile of the road will be shut down for a car-free zone full of live music, dancing, food, fun, and so much more! See you there!

How windy is Wichita?

“It would be so nice out if it weren’t so windy.”

If I had a penny for every time I’ve heard (or said) this, I would be a very wealthy man.

While watching the wind aggressively gently blow the trees in my back yard last week, I asked myself, “how windy is Wichita, really?”

You always hear about Chicago being the “windy city”, but what about Windy Wichita?

Well, I did some digging and I officially have the answer.

Compared to the rest of the nation, Wichita is very windy.

Ranking

Wichita makes its way onto a lot of “Best of (or worst of)” lists for the US.

• ​Top 12 Best Place for Young Professionals​

• ​Second Worst Cities for Dating​

• ​Second Most Affordable City​

• ​Worst City for Seasonal Allergies​

We have one more for you:

Top 10 Windiest Cities in the US

That’s right, it’s not just something everyone says, we are actually one of the windiest places in America.

​We are 9th (higher on some lists, lower on others) with our fellow Kansas town of Dodge City coming in #1. Dodge City is higher due to closer proximity to the mountains.

Contrary to popular belief, Chicago is only the 35th windiest city (it is named the windy city due to the cities politicians were “full of hot air” back in the 19th century).

Why is it so windy in Wichita (or Kansas)?

There are several things in play when it comes to how windy it is in our city and in our state, let's dive into a few.

Geography & Topography

Kansas is said to be “flatter than a pancake”, but apparently some pancakes are flatter than others.

We are actually only the 7th flattest state in the US (behind Florida, Illinois, North Dakota, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Delaware).

But this does play a huge factor. Without any mountain ranges or large bodies of water (no, El Dorado Lake doesn’t count) or really any “surface roughness”, there is nothing to obstruct or slow down the winds as they sweep across the Great Plains from the mountains.

Low-Level Jet

If you look to our neighbors in the west, you’ll see something we like to call the Rocky Mountains. These big guys play a big role in the wind.

When the jet stream crosses the mountains it leads to low pressure systems developing close to the surface and to the east.

Air Masses Meet

The mountains aren’t the only thing that encourages a windy state here. The Central US is a battleground for different air masses.

When the cool, dry air from Canada meets up with the warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico (or is it Gulf of America now…?), it can lead to strong winds as the air masses mix.

This is especially true in the spring and fall.

When all of these different air masses meet and it gets windy, you start to understand where the nickname Tornado Alley comes from.

Chinook Winds

Occasionally, Wichita and other parts of Kansas experience the Chinook winds.

These are warm, dry winds that originate in the Rocky Mountains. As these winds descend the eastern slopes of the Rockies, they warm up and pick up speed, leading to particularly warm and windy conditions in the plains.

Fun Facts for Wichita

• Average Wind Speed: 11.5mph (Dodge City is 15mph)

• Average Windiest Month: April

• Record Wind Gust: 101 mph on July 11, 1993

Now that you have taken my (unqualified) crash course on Kansas weather and meteorology, the next time someone says something about why it’s so windy, you can reply:

Brings a whole new meaning to the nickname “Air Capital of the World”, eh?

Windy Shirt

What do you want to see us go deep on in a future deep dive?

Let us know!

Together with Wichita Riverfest

Riverfest Sign-Ups are now open!

This year the party takes place from May 29 through June 6, but you can sign up for many of the events today!

• 5/30 - Fidelity Bank River Run

• 5/30 - 6/5 - Photography Contest

• 6/6 - Pickleball Tournament “Dinks on the River”

• 5/30 - 6/2 - 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

• 6/6 - Classic Car Show

• 5/31 - Cardboard Regatta

• 5/30 - Cowboy Bathtub Races

There are so many ways to get involved and participate, make this the year you try something new (or continue a tradition)!