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HOW IS WIND DIRECTION DISPLAYED IN METEOROLOGY?

METEOROLOGIST JEFF HABY

In meteorology, wind direction is displayed by the direction the wind is coming from. This is opposite to the direction that is displayed for vectors in physics even though the motion is moving in the same direction. For example, a wind that is moving from south to north is labeled as a vector with a north motion in physics while in meteorology it is labeled as a south wind. The distinction comes from labeling whether the wind is coming from a particular direction or moving toward a particular direction. In physics, it is labeled in the direction it is moving toward while in meteorology it is labeled as the direction that the wind is coming from. The image below shows wind information for several observation locations. Across Oklahoma, many of the observations are showing a northeast wind. This means the wind is moving from the northeast and toward the southwest.