Weather Tidbits: The Reason Wind Speed Increases In The Afternoon

This edition of Weather Tidbits will discuss how the time of day can affect wind speed. Wind is caused by a pressure gradient established between a low pressure system and a high pressure system. This can provide a breeze at any time of the day and night. Though the highest wind speeds at the surface usually materialize during the middle of the day. This is particularly the case on a sunny day. The main reason for this is due to the heating that occurs during the afternoon from the sun.

When the ground heats up, that causes air to rise. Consequently, vertical circulations begin to develop with a lot of mixing and movement occurring in the atmosphere. This mixing is maximized during the peak heating of the afternoon. This is able to translate stronger winds aloft to the surface in the form of wind gusts. This is a lot harder to do during the night because of the lack of surface-based heating. That is why you typically see stronger wind gusts in the afternoon on a sunny day.