Weather reports often include wind direction as an abbreviated letter sequence, providing a quick summary of current or forecasted conditions. Understanding these abbreviations, such as NNE, allows a person to immediately grasp where the air mass is originating. Wind direction is a predictor of many weather variables, including temperature, humidity, and precipitation.
Understanding Wind Direction Notation
Meteorologists use a system of notation based on the compass rose to describe the direction of airflow. The foundation of this system involves the four primary cardinal points: North (N), South (S), East (E), and West (W). These points form the broadest categories of wind direction.
Combining these cardinal points creates the four secondary intercardinal points: Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Southwest (SW), and Northwest (NW). Tertiary points, like NNE, refine the direction further by combining a cardinal point with an intercardinal point. This 16-point system offers a more precise measurement of wind flow.
Defining North-Northeast (NNE)
The abbreviation NNE stands for North-Northeast, a specific direction falling between North and Northeast on the compass. In meteorology, wind direction is always defined by the direction from which the air is blowing, not the direction it is moving toward. A wind reported as NNE is originating from the North-Northeast and is traveling toward the South-Southwest.
The precise measurement for North-Northeast is 22.5 degrees on a 360-degree scale, where 0 degrees is North and 45 degrees is Northeast. This places the NNE wind exactly halfway between these two primary directions. This convention is important because the source region of the air determines its properties. Knowing the wind originates from a North-Northeast trajectory indicates that the air mass has traveled across regions that will impart specific temperature and moisture characteristics.
What NNE Wind Brings
In the Northern Hemisphere, a wind originating from the North-Northeast often carries air masses associated with cooler temperatures. Air flowing from polar or high-latitude continental regions tends to be colder and drier than air from southerly directions. This flow pattern is frequently linked to high-pressure systems that bring clear, stable weather conditions.
The impact of an NNE wind on local weather depends significantly on the geography of the area. For coastal regions, an NNE wind may travel over a large body of water, potentially picking up moisture and leading to cloudiness or precipitation upon reaching land. In contrast, for inland locations, the NNE wind typically remains relatively dry, contributing to a drop in humidity. This wind direction may also be associated with increased wind speeds.