What question did this study set out to answer?

To characterize the statistical duration of extreme thunderstorm and synoptic wind events across multiple speed thresholds to inform performance-based structural design.

August 1, 2026Advances in wind engineering.Open Access

Statistical Characteristics of Extreme Wind Duration Using Surface Observations in the United States

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To characterize the statistical duration of extreme thunderstorm and synoptic wind events across multiple speed thresholds to inform performance-based structural design.
Analyzed non-hurricane, non-tornadic surface wind observation data from automated surface observing systems (ASOS) stations across the United States.
Classified wind records into synoptic and thunderstorm events, preprocessing time series to evaluate duration statistics, threshold dependence, extreme value distributions, and ramp-up behavior.
Synoptic wind events demonstrated substantially longer persistence above speed thresholds compared to thunderstorm events across all examined categories.
At a 70 mph threshold (representing a 50-year wind speed), conditional median durations were approximately 1.5 minutes for thunderstorms and 3.5 minutes for synoptic events.
At a lower threshold of 29 mph, conditional median durations increased to approximately 3 hours for thunderstorms and 31 hours for synoptic events, challenging uniform 1-hour duration assumptions.

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Implication

Observational analysis reveals extreme wind duration disparities between synoptic and thunderstorm events, suggesting conventional design assumptions miscalculate structural fatigue risks.

Cite This Study

Elnahla et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a7840b09d809400dabd702c https://doi.org/10.1016/j.awe.2026.100143

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Implication

Observational analysis reveals extreme wind duration disparities between synoptic and thunderstorm events, suggesting conventional design assumptions miscalculate structural fatigue risks.

Statistical Characteristics of Extreme Wind Duration Using Surface Observations in the United States

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Statistical Characteristics of Extreme Wind Duration Using Surface Observations in the United States

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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