Analysis and characterisation of extreme wind gust hazards in New South Wales, Australia

Abstract Extreme wind gusts cause major socioeconomic damage, and the rarity localised nature of those events make their analysis challenging by either modelling or empirical approaches. A 23-year long data record from 29 automatic weather stations located in New South Wales (eastern Australia) is used to study distribution, frequency average recurrence intervals (ARIs) extreme via a peaks-over-threshold approach. We distinguish between gust generated synoptic phenomena (e.g. cyclones frontal systems), hereafter called “synoptic events”, convective (i.e. thunderstorms), “convective using time series. For $$>25$$ > 25 m/s decreases systematically inland coast, contrast which are more uniformly distributed geographically occur often than at nearly all locations. At locations most likewise dominated events, whereas coastal both types have similar intensities low ARIs but again dominate highest ARIs. directions were found be predominantly westerly southerly ones, with variable direction for events. This confirms dominant role thunderstorms producing region, shows that risk varies strongly distance coast.