Are winds that are not from the prevailing wind direction more often gusty, and why? It seems to me that, looking at the ground weather forecasts (as opposed to, say, low level forecasts), it's far more common for the wind to be predicted to be significantly gusty when it is blowing across the runway direction of my local airport, than along with it.

Now, obviously, the wind doesn't particularly care about the direction of the slab of asphalt on the ground, but the slab of asphalt is normally aligned with the prevailing wind in the area.

Is a wind that blows at a significant angle to the prevailing wind direction more likely to be gusty, than a wind blowing in the prevailing wind direction in the area? If so, what's the mechanism behind that? Or is this just a case of me being more frustrated about gusty crosswind conditions, thereby noticing it more?

My area is relatively flat.



To clarify, since there seems to be some confusion about this; I'm referring to area ground-level weather forecasts intended for the general public (as those offer a longer-term outlook, typically with reduced resolution and accuracy up to ten days ahead), not METARs or TAFs (however presented) which are about weather conditions specifically at the airport now and in the next several hours.
A little more info about where your airfield is would be helpful.

The generic answer would be that a significant weather event would be required to over come the prevailing winds.  Also, as winds changed from prevailing to cross, gusts and shears would be more likely.  Local low level factors such as terrain, buildings, and trees may also taken into account. The airspace along the runway is generally more clear of these effects as compared with across it for a single runway.  Larger airports with multiple runways provide more options.