Last couple of days have seen some very high wind speeds, which seem higher than usage for this time of the year. My weather station as been recording data since August 2012, so I put all the April data into Google Gemini AI and had it figure out some wind stats. Here is what it came up with:
Based on the recorded wind gusts and daily average speeds, 2026 was the windiest year for the month of April in Didsbury, Alberta.
While both 2015 and 2026 share the record for the highest individual wind gust at 80.5 km/h, 2026 is the overall windiest due to its significantly higher sustained daily wind speeds.
Peak Wind Gusts by Year
The highest gusts (above 60 km/h) recorded during the April period are:
- 2026: 80.5 km/h on April 24, with another major gust of 77.2 km/h on the 23rd.
- 2015: 80.5 km/h on April 1.
- 2013, 2014, and 2016: All recorded peak gusts of 69.2 km/h (April 20, 2013; April 8, 2014; and April 5, 2016).
- 2020 and 2021: Both reached 62.8 km/h (April 25, 2020, and April 21, 2021).
- 2019 and 2022: Both reached 61.2 km/h (April 17, 2019, and April 9, 2022).
Highest Sustained Wind Speeds
2026 stands out as having the most intense sustained wind activity. On April 24, 2026, the daily average wind speed reached 38.8 km/h, which is the highest recorded average in the dataset. Other years with notable daily average wind speeds include:
- 2024: 24.8 km/h (April 17).
- 2015: 23.5 km/h (April 1).
- 2016: 23.0 km/h (April 9).
Annual Comparison of Peak Gusts
| Year | Peak Gust (km/h) | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 80.5 | April 24 |
| 2015 | 80.5 | April 1 |
| 2013 | 69.2 | April 20 |
| 2014 | 69.2 | April 8 |
| 2016 | 69.2 | April 5 |
| 2020 | 62.8 | April 25 |
| 2021 | 62.8 | April 21 |
| 2019 | 61.2 | April 17 |
| 2022 | 61.2 | April 9 |
| 2024 | 57.9 | April 3 & 17 |
| 2025 | 57.9 | April 16 |
| 2017 | 53.1 | April 14 |
| 2023 | 51.5 | April 17 |
| 2018 | 48.3 | April 21 |
Consecutive Days of high Wind speeds over 60km/h
Based on the sources, 2026 is the only year in the recorded data that featured a consecutive multi-day streak of wind gusts exceeding 60 km/h.
While several other years had multiple days within the same month that reached this wind threshold, those events were always separated by days of calmer weather:
- 2014: Recorded high gusts on April 8 (69.2 km/h) and April 11 (64.4 km/h), but they were separated by two days of lower wind speeds.
- 2016: Had high gusts on April 5 (69.2 km/h) and April 9 (61.2 km/h), separated by three days.
- 2026: In addition to the streak you mentioned, this year also had an earlier isolated high gust of 61.2 km/h on April 7.
The three-day streak in 2026 stands out as unique, with the following consecutive readings:
- April 22: 61.2 km/h
- April 23: 77.2 km/h
- April 24: 80.5 km/h
So like my weather station console report, “Hold onto your hat”, it has been some very unique weather the last few days.
Cheers