Is Sioux Falls One of the Windiest Cities in the Nation?
After Wednesday's super blow across the state, that saw average wind speeds gusting anywhere from 46 mph out west in Rapid City to 44 mph here in Sioux Falls, I still don't understand how South Dakota, and in particular, Sioux Falls cannot be one of the windiest places on the planet.
The wind should never need to blow that strong, for that long, for any reason. I hope some family over in Iowa is getting good use out of my garbage cans now.
I'm still having a hard time buying into the fact the wind was only gusting at 44 mph here in the Sioux Empire, given the way the wooden witch outside the front of my house was bashing on the front door. She sounded as possessed as Linda Blair from the Exorcist. I fully expected her to take flight at any minute yesterday and start doing some strafing runs at my house while spitting pea-green soup at all my windows.
Yesterday's little wind event inspired me to find out if South Dakota had any cities that made it on the list of some of the windiest in the U.S.
According to data compiled from 24/7 Wall Street, two South Dakota cities did make America's Windiest Cities list.
Aberdeen reportedly is the 32nd windiest city in the nation with an average daily wind speed of 10.7 mph. Rapid City, also made the list, at 29. Just like Aberdeen, South Dakota's second-largest city has an average daily wind speed of 10.7 mph with an annual max wind speed of 99 mph. That kind of breeze will surely rearrange your yard ornaments.
I guess Sioux Falls isn't one of the windiest cities in the nation, after all. Could have fooled me. Excuse me now as I now hop in my car and take a road trip to western Iowa in search of my lawn furniture.
Source: 24/7 Wall St.
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