Estimation of Transmission Line Design Wind Speeds from Limited Data

An overhead transmission line is subject to a wide variety of meteorological events. Extreme winds are among the more destructive of these events, and information about this key design parameter is usually sparse. Conventional methods of extreme wind prediction require over twenty years of annual extreme wind records. A new method for prediction of extreme winds is presented which shows promise for accurate predictions with as little as three years of monthly extreme wind records. Although use of this method is restricted to areas not subject to hurricanes, its use will provide designers with more accurate data with which to characterize a new transmission line's wind environment.