In this article, we propose a model of wind speed on a scale of seconds based on a parametrization of the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process, that allows the characterization of wind turbulence. The determination of the accurate parametrization of the OU process that best fits the standard deviation of the wind speed follows the physical principle of wind, which states a relationship of proportionality between turbulence intensity and mean wind speed. The approach addressed in this paper consists in defining the coefficients in the OU process capable to capture the real data properties. To validate the proposed model, a turbulence intensity analysis was performed on a set of wind speed data in seconds provided by NCAR/EOL. The parameters of mean wind speed and turbulence intensity are used to configure each resulting model. The best parametrization of the OU process is chosen by comparing the set of wind speeds in seconds and their characteristics, and is determined by a turbulence intensity analysis. Finally, the proposed methodology is applied to describe a set of mean wind speeds measured every 10 min from a specific location in Mexico. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.