Wind rose graphs are positioned as if on a compass face.
A wind rose is a bar graph composed of a number of concentric circles with bars of varying colors and thicknesses radiating from the middle. The graph depicts wind statistics gathered over time. Statistics measured include wind speed, direction and frequency. Each wind rose pertains to one specific location. A wind rose may also depict statistics only for a certain time of year. Meteorologists and those who are interested in wind conditions, such as firefighters in forested areas, use these meters to study and predict wind conditions in their area.
Instructions
1. Determine what location the wind rose represents by reading the legend carefully. A wind rose will indicate statistics for only one location or region.
2. Note the time period represented by the wind rose. Determine if the graph presents an entire year's worth of data, one particular month over a period of years, or some other time period. This information is contained in the legend.
3. Understand that the typical orientation of a wind rose is with due North at the top. The bars on the wind rose point in radiating directions. If superimposed on the face of a compass, the bars usually pertain to winds coming out of the direction the bar points.
4. Relate the colors and thicknesses of the bars to the legend. The bars represent wind speed. Speed can be noted using meters per second, knots or miles per hour.
5. Notice that the labels on the concentric circles are percentages. A bar representing a wind speed of 15 miles per hour that reaches a circle with a label of 30 percent, for example, indicates that this wind speed happened 30 percent of the time represented by the graph. A shorter bar representing 20 miles per hour indicates that this wind speed occurred less than 30 percent of the time.
6. Identify the size of the empty circle in the middle of the diagram from which the bars radiate. This empty circle generally indicates periods of calm.
Tags: wind rose, wind speed, miles hour, colors thicknesses, concentric circles, empty circle, indicates that
