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How to Convert Wind Direction to Bearing in Degrees

The compass is divided into 32 compass points. Wind direction is sometimes expressed in terms of heading by compass points -- e.g. northeast by north -- and other times as a bearing in degrees. Converting from one to the other is fairly straightforward, although it's important to remember that each compass point corresponds to a range of angles rather than a single given bearing.

Instructions

- 1
  Number the points of the compass, starting with North and going clockwise so that North is 1, North-Northeast is 2 and continue until you have numbered 32 points in all. For a list of the points of the compass, see the link under the Resources section below.
- 2
  Determine the number corresponding to the wind direction. If the wind direction is East, for example, the number will be 9.
- 3
  Subtract one from the number corresponding to the wind direction, then multiply by 11.25. This will give you the bearing in degrees corresponding to your wind direction.

Nature