Investigations on coefficient of variation of extreme wind speed

The uncertainty of extreme wind speeds is one key contributor to the uncertainty of wind loads and their effects on structures. The probability distribution of annual extreme wind speeds may be characterized using a classical Gumbel Type distribution. The expression that establishes the relationship between the extreme wind speeds at different recurrence periods and the corresponding coefficients of variation is formulated, and its efficacy is validated. The coefficients of variation are calibrated to be about 0.125 and 0.184 according to defined Chinese and US design specifications, respectively. Based on the wind data of 54 cities in China, 49 meteorological stations in the US, 3 stations in Singapore, the coefficients span intervals of (0.1, 0.35), (0.08, 0.20) and (0.06, 0.14), respectively. For hurricanes in the US, the coefficients range approximately from 0.3 to 0.4. This convenient technique is recommended as one alternative tool for coefficient of variation analyses in the future revisions of related codes. The sensitivities of coefficients of variation for 49 meteorological stations in the US are quantified and demonstrated. Some contradictions and incompatibilities can be clearly detected and illustrated by comparing the coefficients of variation obtained with different combinations of recurrence period wind data.