wind and air

by john doe
(philadelphia, pennsylvania)

What instrument do weathermen use to tell the wind and air speed

Barry's Response - The first thing they use is called an anemometer. It usually has four small cups on sticks that catch the wind and spin in a circle, faster with stronger winds. Wind speed is derived from the speed of rotation of this propeller-like device.

A weather vane points the wind and air flow direction. In this way, it acts like a flag.

One other interesting device is the windsock, a conical tube that indicates both wind speed and direction in a qualitative fashion. You may have seen one of these near an airport runway.

See more at near the bottom of https://www.stuffintheair.com/weathervanestore.html under the heading "wind force measurements."

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