These wind roses were made using software (WRPLOT) and data from
1984 through 1992 that was obtained from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA).
Wind Rose Information
- The station identification, month, and period of record
(1984-1992) are located at the top left of each wind rose.
- The percent frequency of calm winds is located in the lower
left side of the wind rose plot.
- The frequency of occurrence of winds is plotted in the sixteen
points of the compass (north, north-northeast, northeast, etc.)
with a maximum of six wind speed classes for each direction.
- The legend for the wind speed colors is at the bottom left of
each wind rose.
Wind Rose Uses
Wind roses can be used to graphically depict the predominant
transport direction of an area's winds. Wind rose statistics may
not always be representative of true transport for an area due to
local terrain influences, coastal effects, exposure of the
instruments, and temporal variability of the wind. Other
meteorological conditions may also be important for determining the
formation and transport of certain atmospheric contaminants,
particularly reactive pollutants.
Air quality is often correlated with the dominant transport
direction of the wind. Wind roses provide the best information
regarding the percentage of time the direction(s) and speed(s)
associated with a certain air quality can be expected over a long
period of time. By comparing wind roses to
trajectories an assessment of how frequently that particular
trajectory could be expected over a period of time.
