Description

A windsock, or wind cone, is a conical textile tube that resembles a giant sock. Windsocks can be used as a basic guide to wind direction and speed.

At many airports, windsocks are lit at night, either by floodlights on top surrounding it or with one mounted on the pole shining inside it.

Function

Wind direction is the opposite of the direction in which the windsock is pointing, so a windsock pointing due north indicates a southerly wind. Wind speed is indicated by the windsock's angle relative to the mounting pole; in low winds, the windsock droops; in high winds it flies horizontally.