Wind direction - Wikipedia Wind direction This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2009 ) This wind vane indicates an east wind. Wind direction is reported by the direction from which it originates. For example, a northerly wind blows from the north to the south. Wind direction is usually reported in cardinal directions or in azimuth degrees. Wind direction is measured in degrees clockwise from due north. Consequently, a wind blowing from the north has a wind direction of 0 ° ; a wind blowing from the east has a wind direction of 90 ° ; a wind blowing from the south has a wind direction of 180 ° ; and a wind blowing from the west has a wind direction of 270 °. In general, wind directions are measured in units from 0 ° to 360 °, but can alternatively be expressed from - 180 ° to 180 °. Winds are named for the direction from which they come, followed by the suffix - erly. For example, winds from the north are called `` northerly winds '' ( north + - erly ). Measurement techniques A variety of instruments can be used to measure wind direction, such as the windsock and wind vane. Both of these instruments work by moving to minimize air resistance. The way a weather vane is pointed by prevailing winds indicates the direction from which the wind is blowing. The larger opening of a windsock faces the direction that the wind is blowing from ; its tail, with the smaller opening, points in the same direction as the wind is blowing. Modern instruments used to measure wind speed and direction are called anemometers and wind vanes, respectively. These types of instruments are used by the wind energy industry, both for wind resource assessment and turbine control. In situations where modern instruments are not available, an index finger can be used to test the direction of wind. This is accomplished by wetting the finger and pointing it upwards. The side of the finger that feels `` cool '' is ( approximately ) the direction from which the wind is blowing. The `` cool '' sensation is caused by an increased rate of evaporation of the moisture on the finger due to the air flow across the finger, and consequently the `` finger technique '' of measuring wind direction does not work well in either very humid or very hot conditions. The same principle is used to measure the dew point using a sling psychrometer ( a more accurate instrument than the human finger ). Another primitive technique for measuring wind direction is to take a pinch of grass and drop it ; the direction that the grass falls is the direction the wind is blowing. This last technique is often used by golfers because it allows them to gauge the strength of the wind. See also Yamartino method for calculating the standard deviation of wind direction Apparent wind Weather vane Wind power Air masses References Jump up ^ `` Origin of Wind ''. National Weather Service. This climatology / meteorology -- related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wind_direction&oldid=864408834 '' Categories : Wind Atmospheric science stubs Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from December 2009 All articles needing additional references All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Català Čeština Deutsch فارسی 한국어 हिन्दी Íslenska Kurdî Lietuvių 日本 語 Norsk Русский Türkçe Українська 粵語 中文 10 more Edit links This page was last edited on 17 October 2018, at 01 : 03 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: if you have a north wind which way is it blowing
Answer: north