You might hear wind speeds being described in a number of different ways. Knots are commonly used in aviation or nautical reports. On the other hand, the nightly weather report generally uses miles per hour. And if you listen to international forecasts, you’ll hear the speed given in meters per second. What’s the difference? A knot equals 1.15 miles per hour, while 1 meter per second equals 2.2 miles per hour. So, remember the scale: that 15 meters per second might not sound too dangerous – the 35 miles per hour will have you holding on to your hat.
Mary Knapp, Weather Data Library
mknapp@ksu.edu