Wind gust estimation by combining a numerical weather prediction model and statistical post-processing

The continuous rise of off-shore activities such as the development of wind farms requires a reliable operational support in order to minimize cost drawbacks and secure operations during the different stages of associated projects. One of the most important parameters for this kind of analysis is wind gustiness. The objective of the study is the development of a methodology for the surface wind gust estimation based on Numerical Weather Prediction Models and statistical post processing. The obtained method has been tested over the offshore west coastline of the United States and evaluated utilizing observational data from the NOAA's buoy network.