Thunderstorm Winds

The document examines how rising temperatures increase the speed and frequency of thunderstorm straight-line winds, particularly in the central U.S., and projects an increase in the occurrence of large-scale derecho events.

• Thunderstorm straight-line winds, defined as non-rotating winds exceeding 58 mph, are the most frequent severe storm hazard, with over 15,000 reported events annually between 2010 and 2024.
• In the central U.S., thunderstorm straight-line winds during June, July, and August intensified by approximately 7% per 1°F of warming from 1980 to 2020, while the area affected by winds faster than 45 mph during these months increased nearly fivefold.
• Climate warming is expected to strengthen these winds because warmer air holds more moisture, fueling stronger updrafts and heavier precipitation, which in turn intensifies the downward motion of downdrafts through increased force and evaporative cooling.
• Projections indicate that derechos—the largest and longest-lived straight-line wind events—will become more intense, widespread, and frequent in the central and eastern U.S. under intermediate and very high warming scenarios by the end of the century.
• Severe storms cause an average of 200 annual deaths in the U.S. and are the primary cause of weather-related power outages; a single 2020 derecho in the central U.S. caused over $13 billion in damages.

APA

Prein, A., & Ashley, W. (2025). Thunderstorm Winds. Climate Central. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/thunderstorm-winds-2025

Chicago

Prein, Andreas, and Walker Ashley. Thunderstorm Winds. Climate Central, 2025. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/thunderstorm-winds-2025.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Prein |first1=Andreas |last2=Ashley |first2=Walker |title=Thunderstorm Winds |publisher=Climate Central |date=2025 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/thunderstorm-winds-2025 |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{prein2025thunderstorm, author = {Prein, Andreas and Ashley, Walker}, title = {{Thunderstorm Winds}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/thunderstorm-winds-2025}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }