Why It Is so Freaking Windy All of the Time in Amarillo

You've seen it. I've seen it. Some out-of-towner that's thinking of moving to Amarillo asks what our city is like, and the first thing any one mentions is that it's...windy.

It's always windy. Our windiest month is usually April, but the rest of the year is also usually great for flying kites.

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Why? Why is it always windy in Amarillo? Why does it feel like we're living in the sepia toned portion of the Wizard of Oz without ever seeing a technicolor Munchkin Land?

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Brace yourself. I'm about to use some highly scientific terms. Try and keep up.

The main reason that it's so freaking windy is that...well...there's nothing around here to act as a wind break. We have no trees. We don't have big buildings, outside of a couple downtown.

The land is flat. There is nothing on that land to stop the wind. There's the overly simplified version of why.

The only other place in the U.S. that gives us a challenge for the title of windiest city is Dodge City. I've lived there, and honestly Amarillo seems to be the windier of the two.

Of course, in Dodge City you spend most of your time inside hiding from the smell of baking cow pies, so I could be wrong.

I decided that I needed something a little more scientific than "it's flat" and "we don't have trees," so I looked up the NWS climate narrative for Amarillo. It also appears we have the Rocky Mountains to blame.

Not to get too technical, but as winds from the west blow over the Rockies low pressure forms on the east side of the mountains. According to the National Weather Service, that low pressure is the culprit. You can read more on our climate narrative here. It's so thorough that even tumbleweeds get a name-drop.

Why is it so windy here? A lot of hot air from the west and nothing to stand in its way.

Sounds about right.