TITLE:
Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Extreme Wind Events in Türkiye
AUTHORS:
Semra Esenlikci, Zahide Acar, Barbaros Gönençgil
KEYWORDS:
Windstorm, Wind Speed, Percentile, Storminess, Türkiye
JOURNAL NAME:
Atmospheric and Climate Sciences,
Vol.16 No.4,
October
30,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study investigated the spatial distribution, occurrence frequency, and long-term trends of extreme wind conditions in Türkiye using daily maximum wind speed records from 79 meteorological stations covering 1975-2023. For each station and calendar month, annual P90 wind speeds were calculated, and their mean over valid years was used as the long-term P90 threshold. Days on which daily maximum wind speed equalled or exceeded this threshold were counted, and seasonal exceedance frequencies were standardized to 90 valid days. Trends were assessed using the Mann-Kendall test, Sen’s slope, and BH-FDR correction. P95 was used to evaluate sensitivity to percentile selection, and four homogeneity tests were applied to the seasonal P90 and P95 wind speed series. In winter, high wind speeds were concentrated mainly in north-western Türkiye and at coastal stations exposed to maritime influences; in summer, localized high-speed areas occurred in both coastal and inland regions. Stations with the highest wind speeds did not always have the highest exceedance frequencies. P90 exceedance frequencies decreased significantly at 50 of 77 stations and increased significantly at 2 stations in winter; the corresponding numbers for summer were 42 and 13 of 79 stations. P90 and P95 trend classifications agreed at 96.1% of stations in winter and 93.7% in summer, with no reversal between significant increases and decreases. Homogeneity results were treated as supplementary data-quality information, and no homogenization adjustments were applied. The study provides an observational framework integrating local extreme wind speeds, exceedance frequencies, and temporal changes across Türkiye.