In order to improve the quality of the readings, there are other four intercardinal directions - Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Northwest (NW), and Southwest (SW).

The 32-Point Compass Rose

But there's more. It is still not enough. The European nautical tradition introduced the 32-point compass rose - somewhere between the 5th and 15th centuries - to increase even more the precision of the wind direction calculations.

The third layer of readings is rarely used in our daily lives. However, sailors, windsurfers, and kitesurfers may allude to them professionally because these highly specific wind directions have direct impacts on their performances.

The expressions southwest by south (SWbS), north by east (NbE), east by south (EbS), or northwest by west (NWbW) may require practice from the person who assesses the wind, but they will definitely add accuracy to the readings.

Now that we've seen how wind direction is often reported in cardinal directions, it's time to look at the numbers. But how do numerical representations indicate the direction of the wind in particular?

The truth is that wind direction can also be presented in azimuth degrees, i.e., in a numerical measure that moves around the Rose of the Winds in a clockwise circle from 0 degrees (N) to 360 degrees (N).