A: A derecho (pronounced deh-RAY-cho, a Spanish word meaning “straight ahead”) is an hours-long windstorm associated with a line of severe thunderstorms. It is a result of straight-line winds, not the rotary winds of a tornado ? hence its name. Derechos in the United States are most common in the late spring and summer (May through August). The extreme winds of a derecho ? up to 150 mph in the strongest storms ? are often associated with a quasi-stationary front in mid-summer.
Office of Strategic Communication