Trees aren't wind-proof.
I spent several years working in timber management for the US Forest Service. If you have a even-aged forest that is packed together, like on the side of a mountain, wind tends to blow over the top of it. If a a clear cut goes into part of the area, the remaining trees are more vulnerable to wind, particularly those exposed at the edge of the clear cut.
Trees on ridges, at edges of landscape features (creeks, road cuts, etc.), trees with extensive parts of the crown exposed to open air, as in most yards, are like pinwheels when storms pass through, are more easily picked up, twisted, jostled, or knocked over, regardless of how healthy they are.
If your tree is unhealthy, that makes it more likely to suffer damage in high winds. It's the luck of the draw. And physics.
_________________ Northwesterner
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