PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTION OF EXTREME WIND SPEEDS CAUSED BY TYPHOONS IN A TYPHOON-PRONE REGION

Abstract

Annual extreme winds due to typhoons for 40 years from 1950 are investigated at 28 weather stations in the western Japan which belong to a typhoon-prone region. The predictions for the return period of 500 years are larger about 10%, in average, than those based on usual annual maximum wind speeds owing to the randamness of typhoons. Three subsets of 20 year records from 40 years are also investigated. In most cases the last subset underestimates excessively. It may be caused by the alteration from 3-cup anemometers to propeller ones.