What units are used for wind reports in aviation weather reports?

Wind reports in aviation weather reports are expressed in tens of degrees for direction and knots for speed. The direction of wind is reported in degrees clockwise from true north, and in aviation, it is customary to round the direction to the nearest ten degrees. This format helps to provide a clear understanding of wind direction with less precision than what would be required for more technical meteorological analyses.

For wind speed, knots are the preferred unit in aviation as they are directly related to nautical miles, which is important for navigation. One knot is approximately equal to one nautical mile per hour, making it suitable for both aviation and maritime contexts. Using knots simplifies communication and aligns with international aviation standards.

In contrast, the other choices use units that are either less common in aviation (like meters per second or kilometers per hour) or are not standard for wind reporting in aviation contexts (like fractional degrees or feet per second). Therefore, the combination of tens of degrees and knots is the most appropriate and widely accepted format for wind reports in aviation weather.