Monte-Carlo Modelling of Severe Wind Gust

Severe wind is one of the major hazards facing the Australian continent. While cyclonic winds are the major source of wind hazard in the northern states, non-cyclonic winds driven by synoptic lows, thunderstorms and tornadoes affect the southern states. Severe winds are responsible for about 40% of damages to Australian residential buildings. Geoscience Australia’s Risk and Impact Analysis Group has developed a statistical model to assess severe wind hazard. The model has been tested using observational data from wind stations located in South Eastern Australia and has shown to match the results of the Australian/NZ standard for wind loading of structures (AS/NZS 1170.2) using a more efficient, fully computational metho