The purpose of the study is to improve the knowledge base on extreme wind effects on structures by: a) refining extreme wind simulation models applicable to a well-behaved climate as well as to hurricanes and thunderstorms; b) developing computer models for microzonation for extreme winds (excluding tornadoes) in a selected area, the Texas Gulf coast, for obtaining local extreme wind regime characteristics, particularly with applications to those regions with short-term and fragmentary wind data; and c) initiating regionalization of extreme winds in the area above mentioned, using data collected by the National Weather Service, airports, state and local agencies, and other sources. In the process of regionalization of extreme winds, homogeneous subregions will be identified and regional extreme wind speed curves for each subregions will thus be obtained. From these regional frequency curves, extreme winds with selected recurrence intervals for each subregions can be estimated. The results from this research project will be of great interest to the wind engineering profession as a revision of the American Standards for Wind Loads will commence shortly.
