Logo

This’ll blow you away.

The last three weeks have been especially windy in the Big Apple, with more than half the days registering “strong breezes” — a pattern that will continue through Monday and is making life difficult for city slickers.

The wind speeds themselves weren’t out of the ordinary for March, but ripped through the five boroughs much more frequently thanks to the much stronger and disastrous storms ravaging the Midwest.


  Average winds in New York City this March clocked in between 25 and 30 mph. G.N.Miller/NYPost Average winds in New York City this March clocked in between 25 and 30 mph. G.N.Miller/NYPost

“Winds come crashing in behind each one, which is pretty typical. I think it’s just been a higher frequency of these systems kind of moving out of the center part of the country and exiting off the East Coast,” explained Cody Braud, a meteorologist with Fox Weather, told The Post.

“As they continue to move from west to east, that’s when you’ll get some cold air crashing in.”

The Midwest and Southwest were hit especially hard with storms this March, including a series of devastating systems that tore through eight states two weeks ago.

At least 40 tornadoes touched down, decimating homes, businesses and schools — and killing at least 37 people.

By the time the systems crossed the metro area, they were composed of little more than rainfall and semi-strong gusts that were on par with typical March storms, though it did make for a dreary St. Patrick’s Day.


  The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade was bogged down by dreary wet weather. Paul Martinka The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade was bogged down by dreary wet weather. Paul Martinka

That doesn’t mean the winds weren’t noticeable, however — especially in Williamsburg, where the high rises turn the waterfront paradise into a wind tunnel.

“Being a larger individual, I do feel like a sail, like the wind has almost blown me into the street and almost gotten me hit by a car,” said John Roberts, 34.

Jared Houts, 35, agreed, saying he has to be mindful of his wardrobe on breezy days.

“Yesterday the wind almost pushed me into traffic,” Houts said. “I’m wearing this big oversized jacket, so the wind picked me up like a flight suit.” 

Houts says he doesn’t remember the wind ever being this strong. 


  A storm with whipping 50 mph winds is expected to clobber the Big Apple Sunday into Monday. Getty Images A storm with whipping 50 mph winds is expected to clobber the Big Apple Sunday into Monday. Getty Images

“It’s kind of cool though. Just made me appreciate life, you know? You sort of see it flash before your eyes.”

For Jennifer Wu, the windier weather has been disappointing — even though Staten Island Chuck accurately predicted that the Big Apple would see an early spring if only temperature-wise.

“When it’s windy, it’s almost impossible to play pickleball because the ball is so light and it flies everywhere,” Wu said. “Every day we’re tracking on the app to see what the wind speeds are, if it’s above 15 or 20 mph, it’s basically unplayable outside.”

Becky Stiffe, 29, and Ciara Wiley, 28, escaped the notorious winds of Ireland for a trip to Central Park, only for their picnic to be ruined by the breezes.

“I was so windy, we basically had hair blowing in every bite,” Stiffe said. 

“Our coffees almost flew away, we couldn’t keep our wrappers down, it was a total failure,” added Wiley. 

The traveling pair also tried walking the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday but were terrorized by the incessant winds. 

The days so far in March clocked in an average range of 25-30 mph wind gusts, according to weather stations at LaGuardia and JFK airport, which is considered by the National Weather Service to be a “strong breeze” — but more than half the days reached “near gale” territory.

“I would say over half the days experienced a max wind gust of 30 miles an hour or greater, which doesn’t sound like a lot, but day after day after day, it does start to add up,” continued Braud.

If New Yorkers were wondering if it’s been extra windy lately, Braud noted: “It has been.”

The winds will continue through this Monday as a new system is expected to clobber the Big Apple with rainfall and whipping winds of up to 50 miles per hour.

The incoming storm, however, could be the breezy finale for a chilly March — as winds are expected to finally die down.

“March will end on a quieter note than how it’s been the last three weeks,” said Braud.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy