What do the symbols on the wind forecast charts indicate?
These symbols are called “wind barbs”, and they indicate both the wind speed and the wind direction at a height of 10m above sea level. The wind direction is indicated by the angle of the barb, with the barb “flowing” from the wind direction. The speed of the wind is represented by the number of lines and/or flags on the tail. Each full line equals 10 knots and a smaller half-line is 5 knots. A flag (triangle) is equal to 50 knots. Every item should be added together to determine the speed of the wind. The wind charts show average wind speeds. Wind gusts may be up to 40% stronger.
