Big Wind

The strength of the wind has been a hot topic across Oklahoma this year.  It seems to have been stronger and last longer than in previous years.  Later, as time allows we'll take a look to see if the wind has actually been stronger.  But for the moment, a little bit of information on the wind is in order.

The Sun heats the Earth.  The Earth heats the atmosphere.  Since we have clouds, green grass, forests, deserts, bodies of water and much more, the Earth is heated unequally and therefore the atmosphere is heated unequally.

The difference in air temperatures lead to differences in air pressure.  The greater the difference in air pressure (called the pressure gradient) between two points usually the stronger the winds.