Answer:
There are many ways that wind speed is recorded. Most recording sites use an anemometer which has either cups, propellers or a sonic wave device exposed to the free wind to measure the movement of the atmosphere. Speeds are often averaged for one to two minutes and up to 10 minutes depending on the purpose. Gusts are often measured within an average as a 3 or 5 second average depending where at in the world you are located. Wind speed is measured in a variety of units including miles per hour, kilometers per hour, meters per second, nautical miles per hour (knots), and even miles per day. Some stations still use a paper strip chart to record the wind speed but most have switched to electronic records that are displayed on a screen.