An investigation into 50-year return period wind speed differences for Europe

50-year return period wind speeds have been calculated using yearly maxima from daily surface data and the Corine Land Use Land Cover database. By applying a single consistent methodology to wind speed data, coastal stations individually show more scatter, however, observed differences between Ireland, France and the United Kingdom decrease greatly when the north–east travelling extra-tropical cyclones are taken into account. Most inland stations show an appreciable degree of correlation in calculated wind speeds to nearby cross-border stations. The influence of outliers on 50-year return period wind speeds is investigated.