Wind Speeds and their Effects on Your Home

5/4/2021 (Permalink)

Disaster recovery team in action

Is Boston the new ‘Windy City’?

As many of you have probably noticed, it has been unusually windy in Massachusetts recently. One Boston Globe article even headlined, “Is Boston the new ‘Windy City’?” According to CurrentResults.com, Boston is in fact the windiest US city averaging a blustery 12.3 mph annual wind speed. As a New England native who has resided throughout the northeast for all of my 31 years, volatile weather is just a fact of life. It is what makes us, “hardy folk” and some might say it gives us a surly attitude, especially those from temperate climates. So what does all this wind mean for your home anyways, and should you be worried about its effects?

Wind Speeds and Effects

• 19mph - Small trees begin to sway.
• 25mph - Umbrellas break and you can hear the scraping of branches and wires.
• 32mph - Whole trees begin to move and it can be difficult to walk.
• 39mph - Vehicles can veer off the road and branches break off of trees.
• 47mph - Minor structural damage can occur. 
• 55mph - Trees begin to uproot and structural damage increases.
• 64mph - Even higher prevalence and severity of structural damage.

What Does this all Mean?

Anything above 64mph and we are getting into hurricane force winds which are clearly not good for your home and you should be making the necessary preparations. What is interesting is that 47mph and above is when damage can begin to occur. Just last month Massachusetts saw gusts up to 60mph! It seems wind could be more of a problem than you thought for your property. If storm damage occurs, SERVPRO of Lexington-Bedford & Waltham / Weston / Wayland / Watertown has crews standing by 24/7 to respond. We can provide board ups for windows, tarps for your roof, and any cleanup or restoration work needed. Call the professionals to make it "Like it never even happened." at 781-861-0500.