The wind data from seven North Western Siberian coastal hydrometeorological stations have been analysed. To check the hypothesis that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) variations may affect various wind velocity characteristic estimates the winter wind velocity samples built for the years of the negative NAO phase have been compared with the samples built for the years of the positive NAO phase. The Wilcoxon rank test has shown that examined samples belong to different populations, the median and mean sample values being higher for the positive NAO phase years. However, the difference between 100 year return period wind velocity values lies within the Weibull model accuracy.
Various wind velocity characteristics such as average wind velocity, extreme wind velocity of long return period, duration of storms, and so on are estimated using existing wind data series. Meanwhile, there are certain evidences of the climate change. Even leaving beyond the consideration the causes of visible climate changes, it does not matter in this case whether they are of a natural origin or of an anthropogenic one, it is obvious now that some changes in the pressure field over the North Atlantic occur (Walsh et al., 1996, Barnett et al., 1999). These changes are especially sensible in winter. In particular, the most prominent low frequency atmospheric mode affecting North Western Eurasia is the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), i.e. the seesaw between the Azores High and Icelandic Low pressure anomaly, it has been tending to feature positive values in recent years. That means intensification of both Icelandic Low and Azores High, which leads to enhancement of the zonal circulation and the cyclone activity over the North Western Eurasia (Rogers, 1997, Serreze et al., 1997).
