- Author
-
Marshall, R. D.
- Title
- Fastest-Mile Wind Speeds in Hurricane Alicia. Final Report.
- Coporate
- National Bureau of Standards, Washington, DC
- Report
-
NBS TN 1197,
June 1984,
- Distribution
- Available from National Technical Information Service
- Keywords
-
hurricanes; wind velocity; velocity measurement; boundary layer; building codes; structural engineering; Mexico Gulf; Texas Gulf Coast (United States)
- Identifiers
- Hurricane Alicia; Galveston (Texas); Houston (Texas)
- Abstract
- Surface wind speeds recorded during the passage of Hurricane Alicia through the Galveston-Houston area on August 18, 1983, are used to estimate the fastest-mile wind speeds at 10 m above ground in open terrain. The paper describes the relationships between wind speeds for various averaging times and the boundary-layer representations used in the transformation to fastest-mile speeds. These speeds are compared with wind speeds recommended for the design of buildings and other permanent structures. Errors inherent in the original wind speed records and in the transformations are estimated.