Definitely. As a perk, it might mean easy wind power. As a drawback, it might make spacecraft design a lot more complicated (or maybe aerospaceplanes can ride thermals to the top of the atmosphere, I have no idea)

For life evolving there, I still like the idea of amphibians: if the winds come and go, they can colonize land gradually while using heavy, shielding water as shelter.

Is there any buildup to a solar flare, or is it just instant lethal radiation? Water's great shielding and aquatic life would still be able to turn amphibious, as long as dry land isn't certain death.

Tidally locked sounds like it might have a ring of permanent twilight from pole to pole along the unmoving terminator line. It'd be a radically different climate, but no reason it couldn't have liquid water.