Identification of highest magnitude coastal storm events over western Ireland on the basis of wind speed and duration thresholds

This paper presents a computer-based method for the analysis of the wind record from coastal weather stations to identify storm events based on wind speed and duration thresholds. Various combinations of thresholds help identify two main storm signatures, i.e, peak-like and plateau-like profiles. Seven further types of storm are defined according to their intensity. The date of each event provided by the program is a key item in the analysis that allows for the establishment of storm catalogues at individual weather stations. Catalogues that identify particular storms produce information on the varying local storm regime of the western Irish seaboard and provide input to the understanding of the elimatology of the wider northeastern Atlantic region. Copyright (C) 2001 Royal Meteorological Society.