Thunderstorm Wind

WHEN ARE THUNDERSTORM WIND EVENTS MOST PREVALENT?

Our group was assigned thunderstorm wind events for Richmond County, New York. During the years 1996-2013, there were a total of 40 thunderstorm wind events. The two months that these events were most prevalent were July and September. In July, there were 9 such events while in September there were 11.   Let's view our severe weather website.

 

Thunderstorms can happen as the result of tropical air masses or may precede a cold front.  Those associated with cold fronts are the more severe type with the potential for substantial winds.  Thunderstorms produce winds that more commonly cause damage than tornadoes.  A thunderstorm is considered to be severe if it produces winds of more than 58 mph, hail of 3/4 inch in diameter or larger, or a tornado.  Supercell thunderstorms are extraordinarily powerful storms that can last for hours, produce a great deal of rain and hail, and often spawn many intense tornadoes.  However even thunderstorms that do not bring tornadoes can have winds that result in severe injury and death as well as millions of dollars in property damage.  To read more about this phenomenon, please see the sites below.

National Weather Service
The Weather Channel

Our group consisted of Joe Ryan, Robert Calitri, and Elizabeth Milone