Leading edge vortices can create high local pressures which in some situations may be advantageous but in others may cause damage. This paper looks at three wind engineering situations: windborne debris, roof suctions on a low-rise building and pressures near the luff of a downwind sail, where the behaviour of the leading edge vortex is significant. In some of these situations the strength of the vortex varies in a random and intermittent manner while in others the process is directly linked to the motion of the structure.