I am trying to build a world where there is different terrains and one of them is a extremely windy plain or valley (almost uninhibitedly) there is a couple plants and animals that have adapted (I don't need help there right now but suggestions would be good) my question is how to make a selected area extremely windy with out making the rest of the world windy. The best solution I can think of is that there is thermal vents letting out heat with some cold rivers so the pressure difference makes wind. What do you people think (Sorry this is my first question so not made the best)
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2$\begingroup$ Please remember that the help center tells us that giving your own answer and expecting more is a reason to close questions. Please do not provide your own ideas or solutions to your question unless you explain why they are poor choices. Thus, they serve as an example to help us understand your limitations, restrictions, and conditions (see help center). $\endgroup$– JBHCommented Jun 14 at 3:18
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$\begingroup$ I'd sure like to know what the trouble is with your own solution. Else, look up "Dzungarian Gate" in the geographical literature. Is its ecology to your taste? There are a few suggestions it might be the den of Boreas, of which Herodotus wrote: "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzungarian_Gate#Hyperborean_connection" $\endgroup$– François JurainCommented Jun 14 at 9:43
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$\begingroup$ Wind speeds through the Khyber pass seem to be about the same as through the Dzungarian Gate. The interesting feature is, the direction of the strong winds is nearly constant: meteoblue.com/en/weather/historyclimate/climatemodelled/… $\endgroup$– François JurainCommented Jun 14 at 10:05
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$\begingroup$ "how to make a selected area extremely windy with out making the rest of the world windy". You mean like how the Great Plains are windy, and whole of Brazil isn't very windy at all? I think you need some Earth Science. $\endgroup$– RonJohnCommented Jun 14 at 21:06
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4 Answers
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For a valley have it occur in a funnel shaped area of mountains, the mountains will channel air into the valley in large volumes that will translate into high speeds as the valley constricts. This is the effect that dictates the siting of the Te Apiti Wind Farm in the Manawatu, the Tararua and Ruahine Ranges are lower to the north and south of the Manawatu Gorge around which the farm is sited, than they are farther north an south and they funnel wind across the lower ground.
For a plain have it be in the "Roaring Forties" if you need a temperate climate, further south the climate gets worse but the winds also get stronger.
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You don't really need anything special. Valleys tend to be incredibly windy by default as they act as a wind tunnel, especially when they narrow. This can be canceled out by plant-growth to block the wind and that is why most valleys we are in aren't that windy. Simply make the area you want devoid of much vegetation/obstructions, and it'll be pretty windy on its own.
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I suggest two very high ranges of mountains arranged in a triangular shape facing directly into the prevailing wind. weather systems would be funneled into the gap between them and the wind speeds should increase dramatically, especially if the only way out was at a (relatively) small gap at the far end. If the ground also rose up at that point it should be really windy there.
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What you could do is have a section of raised rock next to the sea, like a big cliff, then erode a series of ravines into the surface that are perpendicular to the sea and reach down below the water level. Have the openings to these ravines be very wide at the sea then narrow the farther back from the sea they are. You could have a gradual slope from this cliff leading back to your open area, it would look like a hill with a series of deep cuts in it.
The wind from the sea will be forced through these ravines and the velocity of the air increased quite dramatically because they get narrower.
Even in relatively calm wind you might have trouble standing up in one of these ravines. In a moderate storm the wind coming from the ravines would likely knock you down if you were standing behind the ravines. In the worst case scenario with a very strong hurricane, wind speeds could exceed 400-450kph at the exit, at those speeds and with such a high volume of air, any structure in the open area behind the ravines is gone unless it's a low profile steel/concrete cube with a very solid foundation.
And just to put salt in the wounds of anyone dumb enough to live here, the wind will be full of sea spray, so not only does the wind tear your crops up but it pours salt on your soil to stop anything from growing again. In a storm that water will be hitting you like a fire hose.
Put this area in a region that has a seasonal hurricanes like east Asia's 'Typhoon season' and you have an area that's difficult to farm on because of the salt/wind, has everyday wind speeds capable of making movement difficult and seasonal storms with wind speeds fast enough to sandblast the skin off your face and turn pebbles into bullets.
