So far this spring, Oklahoma has been staying true to an iconic lyric from the official state song.
Yes, Oklahoma is the place “where the wind comes sweeping down the plain,” especially the last two weeks as high winds brought fire weather and raging wildfires to the state.
And the state’s capital, Oklahoma City, is no stranger to the wind. But how does it stack up compared to cities across the U.S.?
Here’s what to know about where OKC falls among the windiest cities in the United States.
The Oklahoma City skyline is pictured in Oklahoma City, on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.
OKC is 7th windiest city in the U.S.
According to a ranking of the 10 windiest cities in the U.S. with a population of 100,000 or more by Redfin, a real-estate brokerage company, OKC lands at number seven.
Redfin ranked the cities based on the annual average wind speed, and in Oklahoma City, that is 11.3 miles per hour.
The company also noted that the Oklahoma City metro area holds the world’s unofficial highest wind speed, with the 1999 EF-5 Bridge Creek tornado clocking 301 miles per hour. However, this is just an estimate, give or take 20 miles per hour, and is not an official record.
Officially, the record highest wind speed in Oklahoma City is 151 miles per hour in 2011, according to Redfin.
Windiest cities in the U.S.
Redfin’s rankings of the windiest cities in the U.S. with a population of 100,000 or more are:
The 10 least windy cities in the U.S.
Redfin’s rankings of the least windy cities in the U.S. with a population of 100,000 or more are:
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma City is one of the windiest cities in the US: See rankings
