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Dear Tom,
What does wind direction mean? Is it the direction wind comes from or goes to?
— John Stall, Chicago?
Dear John,
Wind direction is defined as the direction the wind is coming from. If you stand so that the wind is blowing directly into your face, the direction you are facing names the wind. That’s why a north wind generally brings colder weather temperatures to Chicago and a south wind implies a warmup.
For general purposes, the wind direction is reported to eight compass points: N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW. These directions can be further refined to 16 compass points with the addition of NNE, ENE, etc. When more precise wind directions are needed, directions are reported to 36 points of the compass in 10-degree increments: 360 degrees (due north), 350 degrees (very slightly west of due north), 340 degrees, etc.
