An interesting fact about plastic weathervanes is – although they look as if they are forged out of cast iron, they are actually made out of machine grade black plastic. Set on the highest point of a building, where it can be influenced by uninterrupted airflow (wind), a weather vane shows the wind direction and adds an ornamental touch to your roofline.
A rooster is a traditional weather vane motif. As the wind blows, the rooster will pivot in the wind and align with the compass indicator points below its perch. The beak points to where the wind is coming from as the finely balanced tail is blown backwards.
Knowing where the wind is coming from, and taking a look at the cloud cover can give you a reasonable idea of what the weather is going to do next. In Dunedin, a sou-westerly blowing in from Antarctica means wear some warm clothing, and depending on the cloud cover take an umbrella with you when you go out. If a nor-westerly blows in, things are probably going to be fine and relatively stable.
By taking a look every time you go past and paying attention to when the wind changes, it’s surprising how such a simple device
can make you so aware of your environment. Who wants to wait till the six o’clock news to know what is going to happen in your neighbourhood?
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