Which Unpleasant Weather Pattern Does Grand Junction Prefer

Spring is a favorite time of year for many people, but it seems like we always forget how windy it is this time of year in western Colorado.

The Changing Season Brings Wind

Springtime brings warmer temperatures, the blooming of flowers, the greening of grass and trees - and a lot of wind. It feels like we have had more wind this year than normal - and as it turns out, there is a reason for that. Colorado is actually experiencing some of the windiest 10-day periods since they started keeping records 30 years ago. I have seen numerous reports from across the country indicating more wind than normal this year in many places.

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Why Is It So Windy In the Spring?

Springtime winds are not unique to western Colorado. That's actually how it is for much of the country. One simple explanation for increased winds in the spring is because of the higher angle of the sun. The sun is warming the ground - and we all know that warm air rises. As the warm air rises from the ground, cool air flows in to replace it - and that creates wind. Essentially, it's the uneven heating of the earth by the sun that is responsible for our windy spring.

Other Wind-Causing Factors

There are other contributing factors to windy days throughout the year - like the jet stream- which blows directly over Colorado. We could also talk about atmospheric pressure, prevailing winds, and the earth's wind zones, as we learned from National Geographic. There are a lot of reasons why we have windy days, but a leading cause of springtime winds is simply our warming temperatures- which become a blessing and a curse.

Grand Junction Chooses Between Wind and Cold

Personally, I hate the wind, and I get the same sentiment from a lot of people I talk to - though there are those who don't seem to mind it. Recently, we asked a hypothetical question on social media to try and get a bead on how people are feeling about all of the wind this spring in the Grand Valley. Would you rather have a week of 30-mile-per-hour winds or a week of sub-zero temperatures? Here's what our listeners had to say.