Lesson 7: Practice: Winds

The following is a webapp that allows you to experiment with deriving winds by tracking cloud features. The images are GOES visible images over the mid-west. In addition, current weather observations are also plotted. The two images are 1 hour apart. You can switch between them using the step button that appears below the image. The cross and X, are used to identify targets. The cross goes with the second, or later, image in the time sequence and the cross the first one. You can tell which scene you are on by the color of the cross,  yellow  indicates which target identifier (cross or X) will be moved when you click the mouse button.

At the top of the image are listed three variables:

1. Time: This gives the time of the image you currently viewing.
2. Bearing: This gives the compass orientation between the cross and X, and thus will give your wind direction.
3. Distance: This gives you the distance between the cross and X, and can be used to calculate wind speed (if you chose your targets correctly).

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