Measurements · Meteorology
Wind Direction
Also known as wind vane, wind bearing, compass
Horizontal wind direction (0–360°).
What it is
What is wind direction?
Wind direction is the compass bearing from which the wind is blowing, reported in degrees from 0 to 360. By meteorological convention, 0 or 360° is a northerly, 90° an easterly, 180° a southerly, and 270° a westerly, and the bearing names where the wind comes from rather than where it is going. Like wind speed it varies continuously, and the two together define the wind vector. Direction is set by the large-scale pressure pattern and bent by terrain, coastlines, and buildings, so local wind direction can differ from the regional flow, especially in complex or urban settings.
Health and operational effects
Wind direction is the parameter that attributes cause. When dust, odor, smoke, or a gas plume is detected, the direction the wind was blowing from points back toward the source, which is why direction is indispensable in complaint investigation, boundary monitoring, and emergency response. It determines which receptors (homes, schools, watercourses) lie downwind of an operation, and therefore who is affected and when.
Operationally, direction governs the safe orientation of works, the placement of exclusion zones downwind of a release, and decisions such as when to suspend dust-generating activity because a sensitive neighbor is directly downwind. Paired with wind speed it is the foundation of pollution roses and dispersion modeling, and without it a concentration measurement cannot be traced to its origin.
How it is measured
How Wind Direction Is Measured
The classic instrument is the wind vane: a tail that aligns with the wind, coupled to a position encoder (a potentiometer or an optical or magnetic encoder) that reports the bearing. Vanes are simple and rugged but have moving parts and a small "dead band" around the tail position. Ultrasonic anemometers derive direction electronically from the same transit-time measurement they use for speed, with no moving parts and fast response, and so increasingly provide speed and direction in a single unit. Both must be correctly aligned to true north on installation, or every bearing they report is offset.
An instrument on Thiamis7
A third-party instrument connected to a Thiamis gateway, reporting into the same Environet account.
Placing wind direction sensors
Wind direction shares the anemometer's exposure requirements: mount it in the open at the standard 10-meter height, clear of buildings and trees whose wakes would deflect and confuse the flow, ideally on the same mast as the speed sensor or within the same sonic unit. Critically, the sensor must be oriented to true north during installation and its alignment recorded, because an unnoticed mounting offset silently rotates every reading and corrupts any source attribution built on it.
Every device and option that measures Wind Direction 7
| Device / option | Type | Base platform | Measures |
|---|---|---|---|
 Airmar · 110WX, 110WXS, 120WX… | Weather Stations | Thiamis | |
 Davis · Davis Wizard III, Davis Wizard II, Davis Monitor… | Weather Stations | Thiamis | |
 Met One · E-BAM, E-BAM Plus | Particulate & Dust Monitors | Thiamis | |
 Lufft · WS100, WS200, WS300… | Weather Stations | Thiamis | |
 Gill Instruments · MaxiMet-GMX100, MaxiMet-GMX200, MaxiMet-GMX240… | Weather Stations | Thiamis | |
 Thermo Scientific · Partisol 2025i, Partisol 2025i-D, Partisol 2000i… | Particulate & Dust Monitors | Thiamis | |
 R.M. Young · 93000, 93500, 92000… | Weather Stations | Thiamis |
Where it is monitored
Solutions That Monitor Wind Direction
Each one links to the solution page showing what that industry measures it for.
Weather Stations & Meteorology
Core parameterWind direction tells forecasters and operators where weather and airborne material are coming from, and it is indispensable for source attribution in air-quality and hazard monitoring.
Agriculture & Irrigation
Often addedSoil moisture, microclimate, and frost warning
Cabin Air Quality
Often addedRespirable dust, gases, and blast monitoring
Landfill, Biogas & Odor
Often addedMethane, H₂S, and odor complaint response
Oil & Gas / Petrochemical
Often addedFence-line VOC, H₂S, and methane leak detection
Outdoor Monitoring
Often addedContinuous outdoor air quality networks that sit alongside reference monitors
Perimeter Monitoring
Often addedSite boundary dust, silica, and noise compliance
Wildfire Air Monitoring
Often addedSmoke plumes, black carbon, and community exposure
Article Library
Reading on Wind Direction
Ambient Air Quality Monitoring: What Nonattainment Changes
Ambient air quality monitoring explained: how PM2.5 attainment is measured, what a nonattainment designation triggers, and what site-level monitoring adds.
Industrial Perimeter Air Quality Monitoring: Action Levels
What industrial perimeter monitoring requires at fenceline and construction sites: DER-10 CAMP action levels, EPA fenceline rules, and continuous records.
Air Quality Near Data Centers: What Communities Should Know
Air quality near data centers: construction dust, diesel generator emissions, and noise, and how communities get independent monitoring data.
Data Center Air Quality Monitoring, Inside and Out
Data center air quality monitoring for operators: ISO 14644 cleanliness in the white space, construction dust, generator emissions, and perimeter noise.
Wildfire Smoke Air Quality Monitoring: Detection & Response
Wildfire smoke monitoring for EHS and public health teams: real-time PM2.5, the AQI 151 respirator trigger, and how to alert workers before smoke arrives.
Types of Air Quality Monitors: Indoor, Outdoor, and Combined
Learn the three types of air quality monitors (indoor, outdoor, and combined), what each one measures, and when to use each one.
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Questions
Wind Direction FAQ
Does wind direction name where the wind comes from or goes to?
By meteorological convention it names the direction the wind blows from: a "westerly" wind comes out of the west and travels eastward. This matters for source attribution, because tracing a plume back means looking in the upwind direction the reading reports.
Why can't I just average wind direction?
Wind direction is a circular quantity that wraps around at 360°, so ordinary arithmetic averaging gives nonsense near north: averaging 350° and 10° would wrongly return 180°. Correct averaging treats each reading as a vector or point on a circle, usually weighted by wind speed, which is how wind roses are built.
How does wind direction identify a pollution source?
The wind carries emissions downwind, so the direction a plume arrives from points back to where it came from. By combining the measured direction with detections of dust, odor, or gas over time, you can build a pollution rose that concentrates around the bearing of the responsible source.
How do I monitor wind direction?
Wind direction is not part of the built-in Aethair sensors, so pair a Thiamis gateway with an external wind vane or ultrasonic anemometer, carefully aligned to true north. Use the configurator to combine wind direction with wind speed and with dust or gas sensors, so that measured concentrations can be traced back to their source.
Monitor Wind Direction on the Record
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