ASCE 7-88 wind speeds

[mtm161]

I am looking for the wind speed for Luzerne County Pennsylvania from ASCE 7-88 windspeed map. Can somebody provide me with this data. Thanks!

 

[warrenw]

Looks like Basic Wind Speed of 70mph (fastest-mile) from Fig.1 of ASCE 7-88

 

[UcfSE]

The best thing to do is give the building department that will receive your drawings a call, whether it is city or county. Often local areas will assign their own windspeed regardless of the wind map.

 

[mtm161]

warrenw: Thanks for that bit of information. I trust it is correct for Luzerne County, PA. I only have immediate access to ASCE 7-95 and later versions.

UcfSE: I am working with the AASHTO '98 LRFD spec. in section 3.8.1.1. Trying to limit wind speed for a construction loading on a steel plate girder. The spec. says that ASCE 7-88 can be used for V30 or simply 100 mph.
I think that 100 mph is unduly conservative as it likely has never blown that fast in that part of Pennsylvania.

 

[UcfSE]

If you are looking for temporary wind loads for construction, you may be able to reduce the velocity if AASHTO permits. The only document I know of that treats construction loads is the ASCE 37-02. You may end up designing for, say, 10-year wind instead of 50-year wind or whatever recurrence interval AASHTO uses. Of course if the code does not allow you to reduce wind loads for construction purposes you're stuck. If you can use 70mph instead of 100mph, either way that will help.