Wind

Wind rose, speed distribution, prevailing direction and calm hours at the site.

Open Wind from the left rail in Site Intelligence. It uses the same weather station as the Climate panel.

The Wind panel: wind rose by speed class and the speed distribution chart.

Wind rose

The wind rose shows how often the wind blows from each of 16 directions, over all the hours of the year. Each petal is split into speed classes, in m/s:

ClassTypical feel
0–2 m/sLight air, barely felt
2–4 m/sLight breeze
4–6 m/sGentle breeze, leaves moving
6–8 m/sModerate breeze, dust and paper lifted
8+ m/sFresh wind and stronger, uncomfortable in open spaces

The longer a petal, the more often the wind comes from that direction.

Key figures

FigureWhat it means
Prevailing DirectionThe direction the wind blows from most often
Mean SpeedThe average wind speed over the year
Calm HoursThe share of hours with wind below 0.5 m/s

Speed distribution

Speed Frequency shows the share of the year’s hours in each 1 m/s band, so you can see how often the site is still, breezy or windy.

Using wind data in design

  • Place outdoor seating, playgrounds and entrances out of the prevailing wind, or shelter them.
  • Use the prevailing direction to plan cross-ventilation.
  • Watch out for gaps between tall buildings aligned with strong winds.

Note: The data comes from a weather station, usually at an airport, measured 10 m above open ground. Wind at street level between buildings can be very different.