Gone missing: Where is the wind this Winter?

SYRACUSE, NY  (WSYR-TV)

On a day to day basis there are certain things that stand out to us weather wise in this less than normal winter in Syracuse. The lack of snow as we head into the middle of January is certainly noticeable. And just one sunny day in the last month has left us dreaming of a visit to the Sunshine State!

However, there is the lack of one weather parameter that may be getting less notice: the wind.

Since the first of the month, Syracuse’s average wind speed is only 6.2 mph which is 43% less than a normal January. By the way, January is typically Syracuse’s windiest month of the year when we average 10.8 mph

To put it another way, we are even below the average wind speed during the Dog Days of summer. Our least windy month, August, has an average wind speed of 7.7 mph.

The reason for the lack of Mother Nature’s gusts is the fact that Syracuse has been bypassed by the main branch of the jet stream for the last few weeks. That keeps us out of the path of any major storm systems, or low pressure, that would kick up our winds.

For the last half of the month is looks like the jet stream is going to become more active near Central New York which means more wind.