On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 12:25:16 -0000, "Will Hand"
wrote:

At what height are your wind speeds
recorded?

Since posting my reply(?) I've been pondering on this and, perhaps
surprisingly, this isn't an easy question to answer as GL at the back of
the house is about 3 metres lower than GL at the front.

--
Alan White
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather
Some walks and treks:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/walks

On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:19:26 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

But isn't it the gusts that are going to do most of the damage? That
seems to me to justify quoting them, though not to the exclusion of the
mean speed.

In a forecast, yes, but in a report, no.

--
Alan White
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather
Some walks and treks:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/walks

In article ,
Alan White writes:
On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:19:26 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

But isn't it the gusts that are going to do most of the damage? That
seems to me to justify quoting them, though not to the exclusion of the
mean speed.

In a forecast, yes, but in a report, no.

I think that an extreme gust is a notable feature of the day's weather -
indeed probably the most notable - and I don't see why it shouldn't be
reported. The picture would be incomplete without it.

Analogies are risky, but let me try one. Suppose it's a cloudy winter's
day, with the temperature pretty much constant all day at 5C. However,
around noon there's a brief break in the clouds, before the sky fills in
again 15 minutes later. During that time, the temperature rises to 7C,
before falling back to 5C again. I'm sure that you wouldn't say that the
maximum temperature should be reported as 5C because the 7C only lasted
for a few minutes.
--
John Hall
"Madam, you have between your legs an instrument capable
of giving pleasure to thousands and all you can do is scratch it."
Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) to a lady cellist

"Alan White" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:19:26 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

But isn't it the gusts that are going to do most of the damage? That
seems to me to justify quoting them, though not to the exclusion of the
mean speed.

In a forecast, yes, but in a report, no.

But surely a report of max gust is as valuable a
piece of weather data as mean speed?
--
Col

Bolton, Lancashire
160m asl

On Sun, 03 Dec 2006 14:30:15 +0000, Alan White
wrote:

On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:19:26 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

But isn't it the gusts that are going to do most of the damage? That
seems to me to justify quoting them, though not to the exclusion of the
mean speed.

In a forecast, yes, but in a report, no.

A report to or for whom? I know that if I (or you) lost roof tiles I'd
be equally interested in the mean wind speed *and* the gust speed.

If we only know the mean wind speed we are reduced to estimating the
gust speed using tables or formulae and I know which I'd rather have -
so why not report it?

And without gust reporting, we cannot assess the accuracy of the
forecast

--
Dave

Col wrote:
"Alan White" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:19:26 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

But isn't it the gusts that are going to do most of the damage? That
seems to me to justify quoting them, though not to the exclusion of the
mean speed.
In a forecast, yes, but in a report, no.

But surely a report of max gust is as valuable a
piece of weather data as mean speed?
Absolutely
It is the gusts that may cost millions of pounds in damages.
The insurance companies will certainly wish to verify any
claims by looking at maximum gusts.So is quoting a maximum
gust meaningless and tabloid media like, I say certainly not.
Alan
www.wincantonweather.org.uk

On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:50:00 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

I think that an extreme gust is a notable feature of the day's weather -
indeed probably the most notable - and I don't see why it shouldn't be
reported. The picture would be incomplete without it.
...

You're quite right. I think I've had a senior moment.

--
Alan White
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll, Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather
Some walks and treks:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/walks

In message , Col
writes

"Alan White" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 3 Dec 2006 14:19:26 +0000, John Hall
wrote:

But isn't it the gusts that are going to do most of the damage? That
seems to me to justify quoting them, though not to the exclusion of the
mean speed.

In a forecast, yes, but in a report, no.

But surely a report of max gust is as valuable a
piece of weather data as mean speed?

Especially when you bear in mind that the force exerted by the wind is
proportional to the square of the wind speed. This is why strong gusts
are potentially so damaging.

Norman.
(delete "thisbit" twice to e-mail)
--
Norman Lynagh Weather Consultancy
Chalfont St Giles 85m a.s.l.
England