About Hurst Castle Internet Connected Anemometer

The web site is updated every 10 minutes with data from the anemometer situated on the lookout tower at Hurst Castle (map). The anemometer is well sited for monitoring the prevailing winds and sea breezes at the western end of the Solent.

A WindSonic ultrasonic sensor is used to measure both wind speed and direction. Every second the readings are transmitted over a radio link to an office in Lymington where the data is processed and sent to the web site every 10 minutes. The data is displayed as a table with columns as follows:

Column	Notes
Date	Date of readings YYYY/MM/DD
Time	Time at the end of an averaging period. Clicking on the column heading will reverse the order of readings in the table. Times are GMT in winter and BST in summer.
Backed	The most backed (anticlockwise) wind direction reading during the 10 minute averaging period
Avg Wind Direction	The average wind direction during the 10 minute averaging period
Veered	The most veered (clockwise) wind direction reading during the 10 minute averaging period
Min Wind Speed	The minimum wind speed in knots during the 10 minute averaging period
Avg Wind Speed	The average wind speed in knots during the 10 minute averaging period
Max Wind Speed	The maximum wind speed in knots during the 10 minute averaging period

The buttons above the data table allow archived data to be seen.

The data is best viewed using Microsoft Internet Explorer V6 and above on a PC. Technical information on the wind system can be obtained from the suppliers Richard Paul Russell Ltd.

Every second the received wind data is also logged using a SpaceLogger-RS WindLogger which stores the information on an mmc memory card. Click here for an example of a plot of this data for the storm of the 10th March 2008.

Wind Data

Pictures

The Beaufort Wind Scale

Hurst Castle web site