Why is wind directon expressed as "FROM"?

Is it me, or is wind direction bass ackwards?

Vectors normally indicate direction an object is moving, but not so with
wind.

Why is that?

Is it me, or is wind direction bass ackwards?

Vectors normally indicate direction an object is moving, but not so with
wind.

Why is that?

I suspect it's a holdover from weather. You don't care where wind is
going (for the purposes of weather prediction) but you do care where it
came from (as that gives hints as to what kind of airmass will be
arriving, and what it will bring with it). When wind is coming from New
Jersey, this tells you something. When wind is =going= to New Jersey,
it's their problem.

Jose
--
You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

In article ,
Jose wrote:
Is it me, or is wind direction bass ackwards?

Vectors normally indicate direction an object is moving, but not so with
wind.

Why is that?

I suspect it's a holdover from weather. You don't care where wind is
going (for the purposes of weather prediction) but you do care where it
came from (as that gives hints as to what kind of airmass will be
arriving, and what it will bring with it). When wind is coming from New
Jersey, this tells you something. When wind is =going= to New Jersey,
it's their problem.

The usage probably predates aviation, but it certainly does come in
handy for pilots trying to pick the right runway to use. If the ATIS
says the wind is X, pick the runway numbered closest to X and you'll
have a headwind.

When wind is coming from New Jersey, this tells you something. When wind is =going= to New Jersey, it's their problem.

LOL
The Monk

Jose wrote:

I suspect it's a holdover from weather. You don't care where wind is
going (for the purposes of weather prediction) but you do care where it
came from (as that gives hints as to what kind of airmass will be
arriving, and what it will bring with it).

Actually this is incorrect. Which way the air is moving here and now
doesn't tell us about what weather we can expect in the future, it only
tells us who is going to inherit our current weather. To figure out
what weather we are going to get, you'd have to look at weather that is
being blown towards us by the winds in its area - and for predictions
of more than an hour or two into the future, the location of the
weather being blown towards us may not be that from which our current
local wind is yet arriving.

Of course real weather prediction also looks at things like local
pressures.

Actually this is incorrect. Which way the air is moving here and now
doesn't tell us about what weather we can expect in the future

In the days before professional weather guessers on TV, it was useful
enough.

Jose
--
You can choose whom to befriend, but you cannot choose whom to love.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

On Thu, 05 Jan 2006 16:56:30 GMT, Jose
wrote:

When wind is =going= to New Jersey,
it's their problem.

Absolutely.


-- all the best, Dan Ford

email: usenet AT danford DOT net

Warbird's Forum: www.warbirdforum.com
Piper Cub Forum: www.pipercubforum.com
In Search of Lost Time: www.readingproust.com

JohnH wrote:

Is it me, or is wind direction bass ackwards?

Vectors normally indicate direction an object is moving, but not so with
wind.

Why is that?

Not sure of the official reason, but hearing the wind direction expressed
as a FROM direction provides me with a very quick way of determining which
runway is most aligned with landing into the wind.

For example, landing at an airport with a single strip runway labeled 10 on
one side and 28 on the other, you hear the wind on the ASOS reported as
"250 at 15." What runway will you choose?

--
Peter

In article , Peter R.
wrote:

For example, landing at an airport with a single strip runway labeled 10 on
one side and 28 on the other, you hear the wind on the ASOS reported as
"250 at 15." What runway will you choose?

The one that lets me roll out closest to the parking area. :-)

--
Garner R. Miller
ATP/CFII/MEI
Clifton Park, NY =USA=
http://www.garnermiller.com/

Garner Miller wrote:

The one that lets me roll out closest to the parking area. :-)

Let us hope it is not a 1,500 foot strip where the closer parking area
favors runway 10.

--
Peter