Lately, there’s been plenty of talk about how windy it’s been in Duluth, and the data definitely supports it.
Out of 78 days (from March 1 to May 17)
2026
- 30 mph or greater: 37 days
- 40 mph or greater: 13 days
Last spring in Duluth was also quite windy.
2025
- 30 mph or greater: 32 days
- 40 mph or greater: 8 days
- 50 mph or greater: 1 day
Let’s review the spring wind data for 2015, and then include data in 10-year intervals going back to 1975.
2015
- 30 mph or greater: 25 days
- 40 mph or greater: 6 days
- 50 mph or greater: 1 day
2005
- 30 mph or greater: 9 days
In spring 2005, Duluth didn’t have any days with wind gusts reaching 40 or 50 mph.
1995
- 30 mph or greater: 18 days
- 40 mph or greater: 4 days
1985
- 30 mph or greater: 18 days
- 40 mph or greater: 5 days
- 50 mph or greater: 2 days
Fun fact: On March 3-4, 1985, Duluth was hit with strong winds and over a foot of snow.
1975
- 30 mph or greater: 21 days
- 40 mph or greater: 8 days
- 50 mph or greater: 4 days
Here’s another fun fact: Duluth was hit by back-to-back blizzards during the week of March 23, 1975.
Let’s go back to 1955 and check the spring wind data in Duluth.
- 30 mph or greater: 13 days
- 40 mph or greater: 3 days
- 50 mph or greater: 1 day
There’s definitely been an increase in the number of spring days with gusts of 30 mph or more in Duluth when you compare 2026 and 2025 to earlier years. Spring is often windy thanks to big temperature swings across the U.S., with strong low-pressure systems moving through. Whether something else is contributing to the winds is still up for debate.
Remember this spring, we’ve seen a huge temperature contrast, with well-below-zero temperatures lingering in parts of Canada into late March and even into April. Even now in mid-May, areas west and northwest of Hudson Bay, Canada, are still seeing temperatures in the teens and 20s, while the central and southern Plains are basking in 80- and 90-degree heat. This sharp contrast might be a big reason why it’s been such a windy spring in Duluth.
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