The number of days that were considered windy in Iowa this April was high, so high it had many wondering if it was the windiest April on record. For some, it was.

According to data from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet, 20 of the 21 sites analyzed below saw above average wind speeds in April 2022. When broken down into hours, there are 720 hours in April. In the past 25 years, 18 of 21 sites saw the highest number of hours with winds at or above 20 mph in April 2022. Of those sites, 8 measured wind speeds at or above 20 mph for at least 300 hours (42% of the month).

Northern Iowa

Algona

Algona saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 350 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.5 mph above average. Note: 2010 had at least 20% of data missing and was not included in this analysis.

Charles City

Charles City saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 350 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 3.3 mph above average.

Dubuque

Dubuque saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 170 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 1.6 mph above average. (Years with 20% or more missing data were not included)

Fort Dodge

Fort Dodge recorded about 125 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph in 2022. The overall wind was about 1.1 mph above average.

Oelwein

Oelwein saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 350 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 3.1 mph above average.

Sheldon

Sheldon saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 410 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 4.1 mph above average.

Sioux City

Sioux City saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 250 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.4 mph above average.

Webster City

Webster City saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 400 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 4.1 mph above average.

Central Iowa

Ames

Ames saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 180 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.2 mph above average.

Audubon

Webster City recorded about 135 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 0.9 mph above average.

Carroll

Carroll saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 340 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.8 mph above average.

Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids saw its windiest April since 1997 with nearly 180 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph in April 2022. The overall wind was about 4.1 mph above average.

Council Bluffs

Council Bluffs saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 310 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.9 mph above average.

Des Moines

In 2022, Des Moines saw its windiest April since 2016 with nearly 145 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 0.5 mph above average.

Iowa City

Iowa City saw its windiest April in 25 years with nearly 85 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 1.1 mph above average.

Marshalltown

Marshalltown saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 245 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.3 mph above average.

Newton

Newton saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 285 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.6 mph above average.

Quad Cities

Quad Cities saw its windiest April since 2001 with nearly 160 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 1.3 mph above average.

Southern Iowa

Chariton

Chariton saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 235 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 1.9 mph above average.

Creston

Creston saw its windiest April on record in 2022 with nearly 300 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 2.1 mph above average.

Fairfield

Webster City saw its windiest April since 1996 with nearly 225 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 1.2 mph above average.

Ottumwa

Webster City saw its windiest April since 2004 with nearly 150 hours with wind speeds at or above 20 mph. The overall wind was about 0.9 mph below average.