Weather App - Wind Arrow Wrong Way

[dpetersmacr]

The wind arrow goes the wrong way in the new weather app. Wind direction refers to the direction wind is coming from, and that's the way it's indicated in weather forecasts, wind vanes, etc.

The new weather app has a southwest wind indicated by an arrow pointing northeast. Wrong.

 

[MozMan68]

When using arrows for wind direction, it shows the way the wind is traveling, not pointing to where it is coming from.

It's up to YOU to see that and then say, "oh, it's a SE wind since the arrow is pointing NE"....look where the tail is.

This is common in weather maps.


Click HERE for way more than you would ever want to know...

 

[Hoyne]

I agree with the original poster, since more people are familiar with weather vanes than weather maps the arrow pointing toward the direction the wind is coming from is natural. Also airport wind tetrahedrons work that way also.

 

[mrochester]

For wind the arrow always points in the direction the wind is travelling. Therefore a southwesterly wind will be indicated by the arrow pointing north east.

 

[zorinlynx]

Arrow pointing in the direction the wind is traveling is pretty standard.

Another non-Apple example: https://www.windfinder.com/forecast/miami_airport

 

[MozMan68]

I agree with the original poster, since more people are familiar with weather vanes than weather maps the arrow pointing toward the direction the wind is coming from is natural. Also airport wind tetrahedrons work that way also.

Okay...so let's be clear...this is for weather vanes/mechanical weather instruments ONLY!! ...and I would hope,for obvious reasons. But weather vanes also have the incorrect/opposite direction stated so it is more easily read. But either way, the arrow still points in the direction the wind is traveling, no? Just because they try to make it easier for you to READ it that way does not mean the direction of the arrow changes in either a digital representation or on a weather vane.

All representations of wind either on maps or digital representations (and mechanical devices) show wind moving in the direction it is actually moving, but you still read it like a weather vane (where the wind is coming from, not going). If the arrows are moving/pointed to the NE, that it is a South Westerly wind.

It really isn't complicated....wherever the arrow is pointing...in any format...is the way the wind is MOVING. If the digital representation as I show in my example is more like a "flag", the "line" end is the head of the arrow and the tail is nothing more than a representation of wind type/speed.

OP is absolutely wrong...the arrow pointing NE is indeed a SW wind as indicated in the app.

 

[Hoyne]

Ok I've been properly put in my place, I absolutely know how to read a weather map, and I know how to read the wind on my iPhone app. I was just agreeing with the original poster on the first impression that the arrow appears like a weather vane and an airport tetrahedron, the point of each point at the direction the wind is coming from.

 

[MozMan68]

Ok I've been properly put in my place, I absolutely know how to read a weather map, and I know how to read the wind on my iPhone app. I was just agreeing with the original poster on the first impression that the arrow appears like a weather vane and an airport tetrahedron, the point of each point at the direction the wind is coming from.

But they don’t…every arrow always points the way the wind is going. It’s just the labels that are backwards so it is easier to read.

That’s OP’s big mistake…the app looks IDENTICAL to a weather vane. The arrow on all point NE, but the label says SW.

 

[Thereminman]

I am an amateur meteorologist I have a Davis Vantage Pro 2 weather station. It has anemometer for wind speed and wind vane for direction.
On the indoor console the arrow points to where the 'wind is coming from' NOT where it's going to!
All professional weather stations have arrows pointing where the wind is coming from!
Before apple 'improved' their weather app they had letters to indicate the wind direction. eg. NE so you knew the wind was coming from the North East and not going to it.

 

[chabig]

On the indoor console the arrow points to where the 'wind is coming from' NOT where it's going to!
All professional weather stations have arrows pointing where the wind is coming from!

That may be so, but those aren't map depictions. On weather maps, it's standard for the arrow to point in the direction of the wind.

 

[Allyance]

Just got this Small Craft Advisory for the Bay Area:

"Issued by National Weather Service
San Francisco/Monterey, CA
9:07 AM PDT Thu, Jun 16, 2022

...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 3 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 3 AM PDT FRIDAY...


* WHAT...West winds 10 to 20 kt with gusts up to 30 kt expected."

Wind is coming from the West!

Current Weather Under Ground screen:

Note direction of arrow for current winds 8 to 16 traveling from the SW to the NE. (Will change to West winds little later).

I say that ALL traffic signs indicate direction you must travel on one-way lanes; location (and distance) to next town or city; change in road directions (curves). As humans, we are trained all our lives to interpret signs and symbols with arrows to indicate direction of travel. When I get on the freeway, signs indicate which direction I must travel (to not from) or get killed in a head on collision!!
WeatherUnderGround app is correct.

 

[MozMan68]

That may be so, but those aren't map depictions. On weather maps, it's standard for the arrow to point in the direction of the wind.

Correct....they have simply taken the info from the instrument and digitally make it easier to read at a glance on the console by showing an arrow to "point" at the direction on the compass.

 

[BigOldJoe]

Here is the issue. Look at the screenshot below. At the bottom the WeatherChannel app states the wind is from the SE, but the arrows on the hourly timeline above indicate the wind is from the SW.

 

[iOS Geek]

Here is the issue. Look at the screenshot below. At the bottom the WeatherChannel app states the wind is from the SE, but the arrows on the hourly timeline above indicate the wind is from the SW. View attachment 2364507

Interesting. Whether the wind is coming from the southeast or blowing towards the southeast...the arrows on the graph are wrong either way.

I'd look at the graph and think "ok, the wind is coming from the southwest and blowing towards the northeast". Based on the "SE 12 mph", the arrow on the graph should be pointing towards northwest...

 

[MozMan68]

The graph symbol is just the symbol for wind and ALWAYS points in that direction since it is a forecasting just speed…not direction.

The note down below actually shows wind speed at the moment and is showing both current speed and direction with no arrow.

 

[sdfox7]

To eliminate confusion they could just use a "moving" symbol like the jetstream motions on weather channels.

Similar to the "slide to power off" on an iPhone--it shows you which direction to "slide" to.

 

[BigOldJoe]

It doesn’t always point the same direction. See today’s example.

 

[MozMan68]

It doesn’t always point the same direction. See today’s example.

It’s a forecast…not always the same as what you are experiencing at the moment…

The ones on top are not necessarily “live”, but entered at an earlier time. That’s why even thought you may be looking at the current time in the forecast, it may not match the actual wind direction stated in the live area.

It’s two separate parts of the app…it’s hard to synch those areas up perfectly, especially when only the first one listed technically should match the live one noted below.

 

[BigOldJoe]

The East/West is consistently backwards. I believe there is a problem with how the arrows are created within the app. It is hard to believe the forecast is wrong 100% of the time.