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 wire. As the electrical resistance of most metals is dependent upon the temperature of the metal (tungsten is a popular choice for hot-wires), a relationship can be obtained between the resistance of the wire and the flow speed. Several ways of implementing this exist, and hot-wire devices can be further classified as CCA (constant current anemometer), CVA (constant voltage anemometer) and CTA (constant-temperature anemometer). The voltage output from these anemometers is thus the result of some sort of circuit within the device trying to maintain the specific variable (current, voltage or temperature) constant, following Ohm's law. Additionally, PWM (pulse-width modulation)