Wind run is a
meteorological term used to categorize or determine the total distance (or amount) of the traveled
wind
Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...
over a period of time. The readings are collected using an
anemometer
In meteorology, an anemometer () is a device that measures wind speed and direction. It is a common instrument used in weather stations. The earliest known description of an anemometer was by Italian architect and author Leon Battista Alberti ...
(usually part of a
weather station
A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...
).
Wind run can help to determine the rate of
evaporation of moisture over a particular area. It may also be useful in determining the height of
wave
In physics, mathematics, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Waves can be periodic, in which case those quantities oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (re ...
s that might be encountered on large bodies of water. Longer wind runs generate higher waves on open water. It can also be used to help in the placement of
wind turbines
A wind turbine is a device that converts the kinetic energy of wind into electrical energy. Hundreds of thousands of large turbines, in installations known as wind farms, now generate over 650 gigawatts of power, with 60 GW added each year. Wi ...
.
References
PAN EVAPORATION OBSERVATION: TAKING THE WIND RUN OBSERVATION ON THE TOTALIZING ANEMOMETER (PDF)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wind Run
Wind
Meteorological indices