How to Determine Wind Speed Using a Windsock
A windsock is a conical, tapered sleeve open at both ends. Because a metal frame holds the wider end open, air flows into the wider end and exits the smaller end. A windsock’s main function is to show from which direction the wind blows. It can also be used, less accurately, to determine wind speed. The faster the wind blows, the straighter and more horizontally the wind extends. The correspondence between wind speed and degree of extension and straightening will vary by make and model. You can calibrate your own windsock using a wind speed meter, or anemometer.
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Instructions
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1
Install your windsock in the ground per the instructions that came with it.
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2
Purchase an electronic, hand-held anemometer at a hardware store or online (see Resources). You’ll use this to calibrate the shape and orientation of the windsock to specific wind speeds.
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3
Go out to the windsock on a day when the wind is steady and therefore the shape of the windsock is fairly constant. Draw a brief diagram of its shape, making sure to record how straight the cone is, whether it bends at some point in its length, and how close to horizontal it is (in other words, the cone's angle from its supporting pole).
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4
Hold the hand-held anemometer (wind meter) the same height as the windsock’s larger opening, point it into the wind and take a wind speed reading. Record the wind speed on your diagram. In the future, you’ll know, to within a couple miles per hour, how fast the wind is when you see it that extended.
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5
Repeat steps 3 and 4 to accumulate several diagrams for a range of wind speeds.
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Tips & Warnings
A windsock meeting Federal Aviation Agency standards will be fully extended at wind speeds above 17mph and limp at speeds below 3mph. However, your model's calibration may differ.
See the References section for sample diagrams of windsocks and the corresponding wind speeds.
References
Resources
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