Hold on to your hats: Windier-than-average months blow into DC area

WASHINGTON — Tuesday’s forecast includes blustery conditions — but it’s something wind-swept Washington residents have gotten used to during several windier-than-average months.

More breezy, wet weather is moving into the region Tuesday as a storm lumbers northward across the Eastern Seaboard. In addition to periods of soaking rain, wind gusts could reach up to 25 miles per hour in the D.C. area.

It may come as no surprise to the region that this spring has been more blustery than usual.

March is typically the windiest month of the year in the region, with an average wind speed of 10.4 miles per hour, according to records from the National Weather Service. Thanks to several strong coastal storms, including the damaging wind event early in the month, the average wind speed for March was 11.7 miles per hour at Reagan National Airport this year.

During the rare, high-wind event on March 2, the region experienced frequent gusts of more than 50 miles per hour for more than 12 consecutive hours. The average wind speed for the day was a staggering 30 miles per hour.

There were several other blustery days with gusts topping 30 miles per hour, pushing the monthly average even higher.

April is the second windiest month in Washington with an average wind of 9.9 miles per hour. So far this month, the winds have averaged 10.5 mile per hour, also above average.

The annual average wind speed for Washington is 9 miles per hour. The calmest weather is usually felt during the dog days of summer with average winds during August at 7.8 miles per hour.

Dave Dildine

A native to the Washington area, Dave Dildine is no stranger to the region's complex traffic and weather patterns. Dave joined WTOP in 2010 when the station launched its very own in-house traffic service. You can hear him "on the 8s and when it breaks" from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up