Wind speed 3 May 1999 is often quoted as the highest-recorded surface wind speed, although another figure of has also been quoted for the same tornado. Yet another number used by the Center for Severe Weather Research for that measurement is . However, speeds measured by Doppler radar are not considered official records. An anemometer is one of the tools used to measure wind speed. A device consisting of a vertical pillar and three or four concave cups, the anemometer captures the horizontal movement of air particles (wind speed). Another tool used to measure wind velocity includes a GPS combined with pitot
Anemometer from the true direction of the wind causes large variations in the reading. The successful metal pressure tube anemometer of William Henry Dines in 1892 utilized the same pressure difference between the open mouth of a straight tube facing the wind and a ring of small holes in a vertical tube which is closed at the upper end. Both are mounted at the same height. The pressure differences on which the action depends are very small, and special means are required to register them. The recorder consists of a float in a sealed chamber partially filled with water. The pipe