- Author
- Simiu, E. | Vickery, P. | Kareem, A.
- Title
- Relation Between Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale Wind Speeds and Peak 3-s Gust Speeds Over Open Terrain.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD Applied Research Association, Raleigh, NC Notre Dame Univ., IN
- Journal
- Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 133, No. 7, 1043-1045, July 2007
- Keywords
- hurricanes | wind velocity | wind effects | structural response | weather effects | exposure | equations | damage
- Identifiers
- wind gusts; ASCE 7 Standard; hurricane forecasters and emergency managers; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA); use of power-law description of sustained wind speeds; use of logarithmic law description of wind speeds; wind speeds at 33 ft (10m) over open-water exposure and open-terrain exposure
- Abstract
- The Saffir-Simpson scale for categorizing hurricane intensity and damage potential is increasingly being used by hurricane forecasters and emergency managers. The hurricane intensity categories are associated in the scale with 1-min wind speeds. For structural engineering purposes the ASCE 7 Standard defines these 1-min speeds as speeds at 10 m over open water. This technical note provides estimates of the ratio of peak 3-s wind speeds at 10 m over open-terrain exposure - the speeds used in the ASCE 7 wind map - to 1-min speeds at 10 m above open water. Based on the ASCE 7 power-law model, the estimated ratio is 1.03. Based on the logarithmic law model, depending upon assumptions pertaining to the surface roughness for flow over open water, and upon the estimation method, the ratio varies from 1.03 to 1.12.