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Description

Estimate the speed of wind using a flag on a flagpole

Resources

* flag on a flagpole
* calculator

Instructions

1. Look at any flag on a pole. If you don't see any motion, the wind is blowing less than about 3 Miles per hour (5 km/h)

2. Estimate the angle between the bottom of the flag and the pole if the flag is extended.

3. Divide the estimated angle by 4 to get the wind speed in miles per hour. For example, if you estimate the angle to be 45 degrees, the wind speed is approximately 11 miles per hour (18 km/h). This is the method used by United States Army sharpshooters.

note:
The maximum wind speed you can estimate by using a single flag and the army's technique is 22.5 miles per hour (36 km/h).

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