Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Nebraska
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 09-29-2011, 07:59 PM
 
Location: Western Nebraskansas
2,707 posts, read 6,209,222 times
Reputation: 2454

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by MICHAEL J View Post
23% difference.
Or, a difference of 1 to 4 miles per hour...
And for half the year, the difference is less than 2 miles per hour.



I repeat: so far as the OP's original question is concerned, that's not a huge difference.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-30-2011, 07:29 AM
 
Location: Indiana
540 posts, read 1,903,549 times
Reputation: 343
Thanks for the replies, it's been interesting to read and I like Michael J's analysis of it and makes perfect sense to me.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-30-2011, 11:09 AM
 
Location: Western Nebraskansas
2,707 posts, read 6,209,222 times
Reputation: 2454
Quote:
Originally Posted by MICHAEL J View Post
NOAA lists Cheyenne as the 5th windiest city in the US and Casper is listed at number 6. As I clearly explained in my post, this is due to factors such as elevation and topography. Not a single location in Nebraska makes the top ten list. As I explained in my post, as the wind moves to the east over the plains, it spreads out and decreases in velocity. Pretty simple physics really.
Very true.
Which is why once you get as far east as Lincoln, for example, the wind has dissipated greatly.

However, Sidney is only 100 miles east of Cheyenne. About 50 miles from the WY state line...



Wyatt if you're hoping Sidney is "still" by comparison, you're going to be terribly disappointed. lol
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-30-2011, 03:04 PM
 
Location: Western AZ
209 posts, read 430,982 times
Reputation: 217
Quote:
Originally Posted by WyattE View Post
Thanks for the replies, it's been interesting to read and I like Michael J's analysis of it and makes perfect sense to me.
Thanks for the kind words Wyatt. In the interest of full discloser I am an engineer by profession. While wind study can be very complicated, a basic understand of the way wind works is really quite simple. I made reference to a wind-tunnel affect earlier. This is merely the affect of forcing a given volume of air through a smaller area or restriction. The affect of course is an increase in velocity. The inverse is also true - at the exit of the restriction the velocity decreases very rapidly. This is the affect in the areas around both Cheyenne and Casper as well as many other locations in Wyoming. You also have to take into account ground friction or turbulence which also slows the wind at the surface.

If you stand in front of a fan for example, the wind velocity is (x). But move away from the fan say 5 feet and the velocity decreases several fold. Move away even further, say 10 feet and you can barely feel anything. This is due to atmospheric friction, and an increase of the band width which slows the wind velocity, eventually to zero. Obviously, the study of wind is much more complicated than standing in front of a fan, but that is one example.

Many factors influence wind direction and velocity in different areas of the world no doubt and it’s not an exact science. There certainly are days when the wind velocity in Sidney is greater than that in Cheyenne. Fred is right; Sidney certainly is a long way from calm. However, proper research and analysis of that research, will indicate the velocity and consistency of air movement is Cheyenne is significantly higher due to factors I’ve noted earlier. If you ever live in both areas for any length of time you’ll have no further doubt.

The following quote has been lifted from the Climate Atlas.

Wyoming is windy and during the winter there are frequent periods when the wind reaches 30 to 40 mph with gusts of 50 or 60 mph (ranks 1st in the US with an annual average wind speed of 12.9 mph). This status has created a humorous notoriety for the state. Prevailing wind direction varies from west-southwest through west to northwest and is somewhat determined by local terrain. In many localities, winds are so strong and constant from those directions that trees show a definite lean towards the east. Many wind farms have been established over southern Wyoming in places such as Arlington89, Medicine Bow, Rock River, near Evanston, and just south of Cheyenne in order to take advantage of this important renewable energy resource.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-01-2011, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Rock Springs WY
400 posts, read 945,608 times
Reputation: 257
Quote:
Originally Posted by itsMeFred View Post
Or, a difference of 1 to 4 miles per hour...
And for half the year, the difference is less than 2 miles per hour.



I repeat: so far as the OP's original question is concerned, that's not a huge difference.
1 to 4 mph equates to 10 to 40 mph. Or if you want to be technical 9.2 mph compared to 40 mph. That is a huge difference. Flat land as he stated makes the wind dissipate. You need hills and valleys to keep it going. One of the reasons it's strong in Cheyenne, Laramie and Casper is the topography surrounding the areas.

If you still think it's comparable go live in Cheyenne for the winter....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2011, 12:47 PM
 
Location: Western Nebraskansas
2,707 posts, read 6,209,222 times
Reputation: 2454
Quote:
1 to 4 mph equates to 10 to 40 mph. Or if you want to be technical 9.2 mph compared to 40 mph.
What??
I think you're completely misunderstanding the data from the weather service.
1=1
4=4
Ie, in the month of July when Cheyenne sees average wind speeds of 10.4mph and Scottsbluff sees 9.6, that's what it means.
Cheyenne is only 8 tenths of a mile per hour windier. That is not a significant difference.
The "big" difference comes in the winter when Cheyenne sees an average of 15.2mph in January, for example, and the Bluffs see 10.6.
That is, the "big" difference is less than 5 miles per hour.


On the whole, the state of Wyoming is indeed windier than the state of Nebraska.
However, given the fact that the town of Sidney itself is only 50 miles from Wyoming, that difference is not really going to be noticeable.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-03-2011, 08:41 PM
 
Location: Western AZ
209 posts, read 430,982 times
Reputation: 217
This following has been taken from the Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the United States:


Southern Wyoming Corridor
An area of high wind energy extends across southern Wyoming from the Utah border on the west to the Nebraska border on the east. This zone of high wind energy can be attributed to a major gap, about 150 km (90 mi) wide, in the north-south barrier of the Rocky Mountains. Prevailing westerly and southwesterly winds blow with little resistance through this gap across the relatively high plains and uplands of southern Wyoming. As a result, this is the largest region of non-mountainous terrain in the Northwest with a high wind energy resource.

Wind measurements taken throughout the extent of this high wind corridor in southern Wyoming indicate that exposed areas have class 4 to 6 annual average wind resource. Areas of highest wind resource occur where there is enhanced channeling by the terrain (e.g., between two mountain ranges) and/or where there is terrain-induced flow acceleration (e.g., over hilltops, uplands, or low ridges). One large area of exceptionally good wind energy potential occurs from near Rawlins eastward to Medicine Bow and the Laramie Mountains and southward along the Laramie Mountains divide to the Colorado border. Several large wind turbines have been installed in the Medicine Bow area.

Wind measurements from a DOE candidate site at Bridger Butte, in extreme southwestern Wyoming near Fort Bridger, showed class 6 annual average wind power at heights to 50 m (164 ft). Aircraft measurement (Dawson and Marwitz 1981) and surveys of eolian land forms (Marrs and Kopriva 1978) throughout southern Wyoming also indicate areas of very high wind energy potential. However, considerable variability in the wind resource exists in certain areas, especially where there are local terrain influences.

Winter is the season of maximum wind power, with class 7 power in the best areas. In summer, the season of minimum wind power, class 3 power can be expected in the best areas.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-04-2011, 02:14 PM
 
Location: Western Nebraskansas
2,707 posts, read 6,209,222 times
Reputation: 2454
No one has argued that wyoming is windy, or even the windiest state in the country, for that matter. The contention is whether a town a mere 50 miles from wyoming is going to have a significant decline in wind speed.

Its not.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-11-2011, 03:53 PM
 
Location: Indiana
540 posts, read 1,903,549 times
Reputation: 343
Where can I find the monthly wind averages for Sidney?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-12-2011, 07:21 AM
 
Location: Nebraska
4,176 posts, read 10,651,966 times
Reputation: 9644
Yeah, well...
Problem is that most folks around here don't have the measuring or reporting facilities. We were getting 80 mph straight-line winds for over 20 minutes (and no tornadoes) and NOAA didn't even notice; insisted that all we could expect and were getting was 45 mph 'gusts'. We are about 2 hours NE of Sidney, and very rural. The winds we get here are measured at the closest station - 40 miles east or 60 miles west. Heck, 1/2 the time we get official tornado warnings 20 minutes after the sky has 'gone green' and we have FB'ed each other pics of the rotation of the clouds over our houses!

The weather out on the rural Great Plains is underreported and underrecognized, mainly because of a dearth of reporters. We also get told that our measuring equipment isn't accurate, is isolated and can't be considered a general trend. And, to be blunt, there are a lot more folks in Cheyenne or Casper who 1) rely on official weather reports, 2) have recognized reporters and instruments, and 3) are more thoroughly scrutinized and recorded than a couple of hundred ranchers who lose trees, buildings, and animals to winds, hail, and snow. These three items make any of our local observations "anecdotal".

What some folks don't realize is that the flatlands don't start the minute you cross the state line. Nebraska ain't flat, not even here, 150 miles from the Wyoming border. We have steep hills where you can stand straight up and bite the ground, deep valleys, high bluffs. Our hills are often carved out into 'blowouts' by the wind, that are huge collapsing hillsides that have been undercut by the wind. My property is, on the 'wind maps' that have been developed for those who want to take advantage of wind power, rated a "10". The windspeed rarely drops below 10 mph at any given time, and is often much higher.

All of that said, I can cheerfully accept that Cheyenne gets more wind, if that's the postulation. Arguing about how many angels can get blown off of the head of a pin in either area is minor! However, it is pretty much a given that there will be some angels tumbling about in either area...

Last edited by SCGranny; 10-12-2011 at 07:30 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Nebraska
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top