This paper introduces the frequency domain approach to characterize and analyze wind speed patterns. It first presents the technique of and the prerequisite conditions for the frequency domain approach. Three years of wind speed data at 10 different locations have been used. This paper demonstrates that wind speed patterns during different times and at different locations can be well characterized by using the frequency domain approach with its compact and structured format. We also perform analysis using the characterized dataset. It affirms that the frequency domain approach is a useful indicator for understanding the characteristics of wind speed patterns and can express the information with superior accuracy. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.