Why is wellington windy

A hardened Wellingtonian is used to the strong winds, and may even miss them when they do disappear for a few days. So, why does Wellington get such sustained strong winds? Wellington often gets gust speeds well above this threshold, though average wind speeds this high are much rarer. Rivers of Wind The main reason that Wellington is so windy is fairly obvious, and unfortunately, we have to blame two things that make the city so beautiful: the Tararua range and Cook Strait.

Topographical map of central New Zealand, from www. The predominant westerly flow over New Zealand means that the wind flowing across from west to east will try to find the path of least resistance. This is due to the atmosphere being generally stable, i. Just like a river quickens as it passes through a narrowed gorge, winds speed up as they squeeze between the Tararua Range to the north, and the Marlborough ranges to the south such as the Richmond Range and the Kaikoura Ranges as shown on the map above , i.

This in turn heats the air above, which rises, and creates a small area of low pressure centered over Marlborough. This area of low pressure enhances the northerly wind flow through Cook Strait.

Naked, eyes closed, he leans forward into a never-ending gale, a look of abandonment — perhaps joyful — moulded onto his cast-iron face. While it may be metaphorical, the sculpture also captures Patte relenting to the constant breezes of his adopted home. The capital of New Zealand is, by reputation, the windiest city on earth and it can make every day something of a trial. Sailors, windsurfers and kite-surfers come from afar to ride the vortex.

Air pollution is non-existent as any fumes are whipped away and wind power is harnessed for electricity. Wind power is the obvious upside of a breezy climate, and Wellington has 62 turbines set on the hills around the city.

Christian Kjaer, the head of knowledge at the International Renewable Energy Agency Irena , says New Zealand is the only country he knows of that has removed all government energy subsidies.

In New York, with its thicket of skyscrapers chopping up the wind, plans are being drawn up for a massive offshore wind farm. Her home state is plagued by tornados, and the high-plains town of Dodge City is the windiest city in the US.

There is a long running — and vaguely ironic — debate over this factoid. In Dodge, the average wind speed is 14mph, but Knapp says this speed is almost a constant.

But that would be winds dropping down to two or three miles an hour, instead of miles an hour. Besieged residents build wind breaks and plant trees around their homes to break up the wind. Homes are built with tiny windows on their northern side to block the savage winter gales.

Many are actually dug half into the ground. Kansas sits on the battlefront where high pressure systems roll down the Rocky Mountains from Alaska and Canada, crashing into low pressure systems that rise from the Gulf of Mexico. The difference in pressure causes air to rush violently between regions.