Abstract:Using gale data from 142 national meteorological stations from 1978 to 2020, this study analyzes the climatic characteristics of gales in Hebei Province. Based on disaster risk assessment theory, the number of gale days and daily extreme wind speeds were selected as risk indices to assess gale disaster risk, revealing the spatial distribution of wind disaster risk in Hebei Province. The analysis yielded the following conclusions: The average maximum wind speed shows a decreasing trend, with its peak value recorded in 1978. However, the average extreme wind speed exhibited an increasing trend from 2014 to 2020, consistent with the trend of maximum wind speeds during the same period. The number of gale days peaks in April and reaches a minimum in September. Their spatial distribution shows a decreasing trend from the northwest to the southeast of Hebei Province, with the exception of an increase in gale days in the coastal region of Cangzhou. The average maximum wind speed is higher in the northwest and lower in the northeast, while the average extreme wind speed is also higher in the northwest and southwest, but lower in the southeast. The highest values for both wind speeds are found in the Bashang region of Zhangjiakou. The spatial distribution of gale disaster risk indicates higher risks in the northwest and lower risks in the northeast and southwest, with the highest-risk areas being the Bashang region in Zhangjiakou and Fengning County in Chengde.