Wind Vanes

[poliphilo]

My friend Judy has been trying to source a wind vane for a video she's shooting- and finding it difficult to lay hands on one. I guess people mostly commission them for particular buildings. They're not the sort of thing you buy off the peg.

My parents had one made for this place that represents a horseman jumping a gate. It eventually fell off  the roof and is now in pieces. I haven't moved to have it put back. We're no longer a horse-owning or even particularly horsey family; that era is over.

I like vanes but I've never figured out how they work. When the arrow points north (say) does that mean the wind is blowing towards or from that direction? I've also never really figured out why anyone- outside of certain specialised occupations- sailors and cricketers for instance- would need to have that information.

Right now the wind is blowing from the north. I don't need a vane to tell me this; the drop in the temperature is enough.

I remember sitting in a classroom as a little kid- bent over an exercise book doing sums or drawing contour lines-  and every so often glancing up to see the vane spinning on a nearby summer house. Ah, to be out in that wind...

Comments

[matrixmann]

I'd think this is like reading a compass.
The wind always moves the North peak of the needle and where it's pointing at that is the direction it blows towards to.
For a vane, to determine where it's coming from, you then need to think the opposite of that direction.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That seems logical...

[sorenr.livejournal.com]

Most weather vanes have a larger tail than the arrow, meaning the arrow will point in the direction the wind is blowing from. This also goes for vanes with a motif, where the motif will generally be pushed just a little bit towards the back of the vane, ensuring that the arrow points to where the wind comes from.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ok, yes, that makes sense.

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

I'm a little surprised it's proving difficult to find such - I'd always vaguely thought they were the kind of thing you'd find readily in places selling all sorts of Stuff for Around the House.

On a merely practical level, I simply use online forecasts/weather info - it's worth keeping an eye on the wind, of course, lest one be lulled into thinking a sunny Autumn day might not require a coat, until you realise there's going to be a stiff breeze, right into the eyes as I look out primary bunspot. But WeatherPro on an iPad doesn't have quite the same visual cachet as a vane. =:)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I've never gone shopping for a vane. If I wanted one I think I'd begin by searching out the local blacksmith.

[resonant.livejournal.com]

Depending on your region, wind direction can tell you the weather for the next day. Useful for planning to plant or harvest.

In Nova Scotia, wind from the north, off the Gulf of St. Lawrence, usually means rain or snow, and colder temperatures.

Wind from the east, off the North Atlantic, usually means rain or snow accompanied by high winds.

Wind from the south, off the Gulf Stream, usually means heavy rain or snow accompanied by warmer temperatures.

Wind from the west, off the mainland, usually means sun and warmer temperatures.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

S basically, if it's blowing from any direction except west you're going to get wind and snow...

[charliemc.livejournal.com]

Marilyn and I own a whirly vane -- it's a piece of metal art that's a pole, with two spinning parts on it. We spent $500 to buy it years and years ago (back when we obviously had some 'spare' $$$ -- when the heck was THAT???). The guy who makes these doesn't do 'small' ones anymore like ours. He does HUGE versions that include a bunch of glass and so on and cost a TON more than our sum.

Half a tree fell on it at one point, bending it. So it doesn't quite spin like it used to. But when the wind is really high, we still get to watch it go! That happened a few days ago, actually. I still love the thing, even if it doesn't work that well.

If we ever move, we're digging the damn thing up and finding a way to transport it! I won't leave it behind.