Wind direction
Wind wind bearing
Wind direction tells you where the air comes from. A westerly wind arrives from the west and blows towards the east.
Wind is named after its origin
Meteorologists follow a fixed convention: the name gives the origin, not the destination. A northerly wind carries air from north to south. Check the legend on a weather map, because arrows may show either the origin or the direction of movement.
Compass points and degrees
On small screens, scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Wind from | Degrees | Blows towards |
|---|---|---|
| North | 0° / 360° |
South |
| East | 90° |
West |
| South | 180° |
North |
| West | 270° |
East |
Angles increase clockwise from north. A south-westerly wind, for example, is 225°. In calm conditions there is no meaningful wind direction; “variable” means that the direction changes considerably.
What direction tells us about the weather
Direction gives a clue to an air mass’s origin. Whether it is warm, cold, moist or dry also depends on the season and its journey. A southerly wind is therefore not automatically hot.
Measurements in open terrain usually represent the wider flow better than observations between buildings. A flag in a courtyard may point a different way because buildings redirect the air.