Determination of Acceptable Sampling Rates for Recording Wind-Speed Data

ABSTRACT A cup anemometer approved by the National Weather Service was used to collect wind-speed data at a nominal sampling rate of 60 samples/min. Acceptable rates for sampling from a cup anemometer were deter-mined. The study indicated that for the particular wind data studied the standard deviation of the percentage difference between an hourly average wind speed obtained by 1 sample/min and the reference of 60 samples/ min was 1.5 percent. A 1-min average from the hour (representing the National Weather Service's method of determining hourly average wind speeds) had a standard deviation of the percentage difference from the reference wind speed of 13.6 percent, indicating that the 1-min average from the hour may be a poor representation of an hourly average wind speed.