What is the windiest month of the year in Tennessee?
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Have you noticed that it's been very windy lately? Whether it's been stormy or sunny, the Volunteer State can't seem to escape the wind this time of year.
According to Nashville National Weather Service Meteorologist Matt Reagan, we are indeed in the windiest months of the year.
Reagan looked back at the wind data recorded at Nashville International Airport and found that March was the windiest month of the year. The second windiest month is February, then April, and January.
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It all has to do with the jet stream, according to Reagan.
'This is when the jet stream is getting further south and that supports the surface low pressure systems that we have that come through the area, and that and creates what we call pressure gradient — that's the difference between the lowest pressure and the highest pressure,' Reagan told News 2. 'And the wind wants to go from the high pressure to the low pressure.'
The jet stream is the river of strong winds that occurs high in the atmosphere where jets fly. Think of the jet stream as a highway for storm systems. When the jet stream is over Tennessee, we tend to see strong storm systems that produce high winds.
However, the jet stream is not always over us. During the summer, it retreats to the northern United States and Canada. Meanwhile, in the winter, the jet stream can drop to the Deep South. Spring and fall is when the jet stream is typically seen over Tennessee.
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But why are Tennessee's windiest months in the spring and not fall?
In the fall, the state sees an increase in storms and winds, but it's not on the same level as the spring. This is because the jet stream is much stronger during the spring.
The main driving force behind the jet stream is the temperature gradient between the tropics and the poles. The temperature difference between the tropics and the Arctic is the largest in the spring.
If you are tired of the wind, we are entering our least windy time of the year. During the summer, there are very few breezy days. The only time we typically see wind during the summer is within thunderstorms.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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