  Two-dimensional horizontally periodic Rayleigh-B\'enard convection between
stress-free boundaries displays two distinct types of states, depending on the
initial conditions. Roll states are composed of pairs of counter-rotating
convection rolls. Windy states are dominated by strong horizontal wind (also
called zonal flow) that is vertically sheared, precludes convection rolls, and
suppresses heat transport. Windy states occur only when the Rayleigh number
$Ra$ is sufficiently above the onset of convection. At intermediate $Ra$
values, windy states can be induced by suitable initial conditions, but they
undergo a transition to roll states after finite lifetimes. At larger $Ra$
values, where windy states have been observed for the full duration of
simulations, it is unknown whether they represent chaotic attractors or only
metastable states that would eventually undergo a transition to roll states. We
study this question using direct numerical simulations of a fluid with a
Prandtl number of 10 in a layer whose horizontal period is 8 times its height.
At each of seven $Ra$ values between $9\times10^6$ and $2.25\times10^7$ we have
carried out 200 or more simulations, all from initial conditions leading to
windy convection with finite lifetimes. The lifetime statistics at each $Ra$
indicate a memoryless process with survival probability decreasing
exponentially in time. The mean lifetimes grow with $Ra$ approximately as
$Ra^4$. This analysis provides no $Ra$ value at which windy convection becomes
stable; it might remain metastable at larger $Ra$ with extremely long
lifetimes.
