Illustrating wind direction

[Jack Harrison]

Following on from my “autumn” theme, maybe we can have some off-beat pictures showing wind direction.

 

Birds usually take off and land into wind and rest with their bodies aligned) with wind to keep feathers smoothed (although heads are turned when sleeping).

Redshanks, Nairn

Some small birds don’t seem quite so fussed about wind direction.

 

Hovering birds such as Kestrels always hover into wind. 

I would use that information when taking off from one of Amsterdam’s runways.  The resident Kestrel (in the absence of a windsock) gave a very useful indication of crosswind (if any).

 

Jack

[Graham Easterling]

Not sure if it's offbeat, probably not, but it shows wind direction

Graham

Penzance

[George in Edinburgh]

Not sure it it's offbeat either but it illustrates wind direction.  

View from Epping on a Sunday morning in December 2005. The smoke cloud originated 24 miles away. With light westerly winds the smoke cloud reached Epping late afternoon. Overnight the wind veered to northerly and the smoke cloud drifted away.

So, where/what was the origin of this smoke cloud?

George

[Freddie]

On Tuesday, 27 August 2019 15:05:44 UTC+1, George in Edinburgh wrote:

So, where/what was the origin of this smoke cloud?

Buncefield.  I remember it well.

--
Freddie
Dorrington
Shropshire
115m AMSL
http://www.hosiene.co.uk/weather/
Stats for the month so far: https://www.hosiene.co.uk/weather/statistics/latest.xlsx

[George in Edinburgh]

Buncefield is the correct answer. I recall the will it/won't it reach here (Epping) on the Sunday afternoon. It did reach Epping but came to a halt before sliding away over to the south.

I'd forgotten about the Thames-Mersey oil pipeline which goes from Coryton to Stanlow, calling in at Buncefield. 

George

[Julian Mayes]

Here in Molesey it was cold and gloomy on the Sunday under the smoke veil, the cold seemingly enhanced by the gloom. When a special issue of Weather came out a year later the front cover image was a view from nearby Teddington which captured the eerie semi- darkness well. By comparison, George, your view almost looks like a fine spring day. 

In the afternoon I had to drive to South Wales - stopping at Membury services nr Swindon I remember that the smoke could still be seen in the eastern sky, albeit low down. 

Julian