Projections and uncertainties of wind extremes in urban and coastal regions under climate change

Wind extremes may have significant consequences for coastal ecosystems and critical infrastructures in urban regions. Station records have suggested a decline in the magnitude of mean near-surface wind speeds over the Northern Hemisphere. The frequencies of the more extreme wind events have been reported to decrease over the tropics in the CMIP3 multi-model ensemble. Here we examine wind extremes in the CMIP5 multi-model ensemble and in multiple reanalysis datasets through statistical methods for extreme values. Historical skills as well as projected trends and uncertainties under climate change are determined globally over land and oceans. Changes in wind extremes over urban and coastal regions, along with their uncertainties, are thoroughly examined and catalogued.