how do you measure wind velocity.?

Answer 1

with an anemometer ( whirling device with cups or vanes to catch the wind - the speed of rotation is converted to wind speed ) and these days with Doppler radar ( tornado's and such are measured that way )

Answer 2

Good question and here is the scietific answer to your question. An anemometer is the instrument which measure wind velocity. It consists of cups which catch the wind at the end of a number of spokes which rotate about an axis. We know that linear velocity, V is equal to WR where W is the angular velocity of the spinning axis in radians per second and R is the radius of a spoke. Now R is known and W is measured from the number of rotations per second of the axis of the anemometer. With this information it is easy to calculate the linear velocity which would be the velocity of the wind itself. This is basically how the anemometer works. Of course this process is done electronically and with a computer readout.

Answer 3

With anemometers, as others have mentioned! You can also measure wind velocity by watching a balloon in a RADAR! This balloons have hydrogen and can climb very high! You can also use a "pitot" tube. This is the way to measure air speed in airplanes! In that way you know where your plane is going and what winds exist around it. That is it!

Answer 4

With the help of
1) Anemometer
2) Doppler radar and
3) Hydrogen filled balloons the movement of which is tracked by a radar to find out the winds at higher levels.

Answer 5

UNITS OF MEASUREMENT: Wind velocity data should be reported in meters per second (m/s). If your anemometer is calibrated in kts, mph, or km/hr, record wind velocity in these units and convert to m/s with the aid of the conversion factors in Table I

INSTRUMENTS: Wind velocity can be measured with several simple, hand-held, mechanical, or battery operated wind meters (anemometers) available at stores specialising in equipment for campers, birder's, science teachers, amateur scientists, pilots, boaters, etc. One widely available mechanical model is the Dwyer wind meter®. Wind velocity should be measured at 1.5 m above the ground. An alternate method to using using mechanical or electronic equipment to measure wind velocity is to become proficient in using the Beaufort wind scale shown in Table I. This scale was developed by Admiral Beaufort of the British Navy in 1805 for use at sea and was later modified for use on land. I truncated the scale, added a kilometers per hour (km/hr) column, a meters per second (m/s) column, and a few comments comments, notes, and tips that relate to butterfly watching. Measuring wind velocities that are less than 1 m/s presents a problem. Inexpensive anemometers are not sensitive to air velocities below about 1 m/s. On the other hand, more expensive models can accurately measure very low wind velocities (e.g. 0.1 m/s) but are generally not particularly sturdy when taken into the field. By sturdy, I mean still able to function after being knocked about in a box, rained on, stepped on, dropped in the dirt, in a puddle, or on a rock, and, if battery operated, subjected to frequent cycling between exposure in the field to high humidity and temperatures >25° (much hotter if apparatus left exposed to sun or in a parked car) followed by exposure to temperatures <25° (much cooler if left out in field or in car overnight). Unless you have access to a sturdy anemometer designed for long term exposure to the conditions outlined above, I suggest that you record a low velocity wind as being less than the lower limit for your anemometer (e.g. < 1 m/s for the Dwyer wind meter®).

VARIABLE AND GUSTY WINDS: Wind will usually be variable with spikes in velocity caused by gusts. Thermals are always associated with variable, often gusty, winds. To record wind velocity, ignore gusts and estimate the mid point of the fluctuating readings of your anemometer. For example, if the anemometer indicates a wind velocity fluctuating between 6 m/s and 8 m/s with gusts to 10 m/s, the appropriate wind velocity to record is 7 m/s.

Answer 6

Throw a leaf in the wind and have someone hit it with a speed gun?