Gust factors over open water and built-up country

Data are presented of the gust factorG =u ^max/, both at 8-m height over a lake and up to 80-m height at the edge of a town. It is argued that, due to the presence of trends in long-period averages, the use of arithmetic or least-squareG-averages leads to overestimation of the dependence ofG on wind speedu, and medianG-values are preferable. A simple non-spectral model for gustiness at high wind speeds in the constant-stress layer is proposed and checked. The model relatesG to surface roughness and height above surface for gust wavelengths up to 200 m. The gust factor concept is shown to be inadequate for characterizing thunderstorm gustiness.