Wind gust forecasting is of special importance to weather sensitive activities at the Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina. Typically, many outdoor tasks are planned with the expectation that wind gusts will remain below 4.47 m/s (10 mph). Typical work activities last for 4-8 hours duration and the wind forecast is needed either one day or a few hours prior to the activity. Projects take place in both daytime and nighttime conditions.

Ten years of meteorological data collected by the Savannah River Technology Center's (SRTC) Atmospheric Transport Group (ATG) was available to analyze for maximum wind gusts. Fifteen-minute averages of wind speeds measured at 2-4 meters height at an onsite, centrally located tower were used to study the relationship between the measured mean wind speed and the maximum instantaneous wind gust expected during a typical work activity. Linear regression equations were used to establish the relationship between the mean wind speed and maximum gust for different atmospheric conditions.