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Hays County Hazard Mitigation Plan, Hays County Annex <br />Windstorms <br />Windstorms: Location <br />The entire extent of Hays County is exposed to some degree of wind hazard. Since <br />wind can occur at any location, wind events could be experienced anywhere within <br />the planning area. <br />Windstorms: Previous Occurrences <br />According to the NOAA Storm Events Database, there were 38 wind events reported for Hays County and <br />its unincorporated jurisdictions since the year 1974. <br />Risk Assessment <br />Windstorms: Extent and Probability <br />Wind is measured by the Beaufort Wind Scale that relates wind speed to observed conditions on land <br />and sea. According to the reported previous windstorm occurrences in the jurisdiction, the maximum <br />wind extent experienced was 70 knots (corresponding to Beaufort Wind Classification: Hurricane). Refer <br />to Chapter 2, the risk assessment portion of the main plan document, for a description of wind extent <br />scales. <br />Based on 38 reported events in 42 years, a wind event occurs in Hays County approximately once every <br />year, on average. Since wind events can happen anywhere throughout the HMP planning area, Hays <br />County’s unincorporated areas’ future probability is assumed to be similar to the surrounding County <br />area. In the future, Hays County’s probability for a wind event of up to 70 knots, or 80.55 miles per hour <br />(Hurricane Classification in the Beaufort Wind Scale), is approximately once every year (on average). <br />Windstorms: Impact <br />Data from the Texas Department of Transportation’s Crash Records Information System (CRIS) shows <br />that between the years of 2010 and 2017, rural Hays County experienced 5 crashes related to severe <br />crosswind weather conditions (see Table HC.3). There were no injuries reported from these crash events. <br />Table HC.3, Windstorms, Vehicle Accidents, Hays County <br />IncapacitatingIncapacitating <br />Fatality <br />Possible <br />Injury <br />Crash Surface Weather <br />Injury <br />Non- <br />CityStreet Name <br />YearConditionCondition <br />Rural Hays Severe <br />00002010LIME KILN RDDry <br />CountyCrosswinds <br />Rural Hays Severe <br />00002014IH0035Dry <br />CountyCrosswinds <br />Rural Hays Severe <br />00002014IH0035Dry <br />CountyCrosswinds <br />Rural Hays Severe <br />00002014IH0035Dry <br />CountyCrosswinds <br />Rural Hays Severe <br />00002017US0290Wet <br />CountyCrosswinds <br />(Texas Department of Transportation, 2017) <br />8 <br /> <br />