The wind direction is shown by the direction of the weather symbol

Most wind vanes have a point, or arrowhead, which faces the wind. Therefore one may simply read the compass direction toward which the arrow is pointing. The reading is in the range of 0 to 360 degrees.

Remember to place the wind vane in such a way that nothing blocks or distorts the airflow.  
 
Wind speed
 
Wind speed can be measured with an instrument called an anemometer. Many different kinds can be bought. A simple and cheaper way is to observe how features around you react to the wind (see the table below).
 
 
Wind speed table
 

Beafort	Knots	Wind	Observations on land	Observations on sea
0	Less than 1	Calm	Calm, smoke rises vertically	Sea surface smooth and mirror-like
1	1-3	Light air	Smoke drift indicates wind direction, still wind vanes	Scaly ripples, no foam crests
2	4-6	Light breeze	Wind felt on face, leaves rustle, vanes begin to move	Small wavelets, crests glassy, no breaking
3	7-10	Gentle breeze	Leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags extended	Large wavelets, crests begin to break, scattered whitecaps
4	11-16	Moderate breeze	Dust, leaves, and loose paper lifted, small tree branches move	Small waves 0.3048 m - 1.2192 m becoming longer, numerous whitecaps
5	17-21	Fresh breeze	Small trees in leaf begin to sway	Moderate waves 1.2192 m - 2.4384 m taking longer form, many whitecaps, some spray
6	22-27	Strong breeze	Larger tree branches moving, whistling in wires	Larger waves 2.4384 m - 3.9624 m, whitecaps common, more spray
7	28-33	Near gale	Whole trees moving, resistance felt walking against wind	Sea swells up, waves 3.9624 m - 6.096 m, white foam streaks off breakers
8	34-40	Fresh gale	Whole trees in motion, resistance felt walking against wind	Moderately high (3.9624 m - 6.096 m) waves of greater length, edges of crests begin to break into spindrift, foam blown in streaks
9	41-47	Strong gale	Slight structural damage occurs, slate blows off roofs	High waves (6.096 m), sea begins to roll, dense streaks of foam, spray may reduce visibility
10	48-55	Storm	Seldom experienced on land, trees broken or uprooted, "considerable structural damage"	Very high waves (6.096 m - 9.144 m) with overhanging crests, sea white with densely blown foam, heavy rolling, lowered visibility
11	56-63	Violent Storm	Widespread damage	Exceptionally high (9.144 m - 13.716 m) waves, foam patches cover sea, visibility more reduced
12	64+	Hurricane	Excessive damage	Air filled with foam, waves over 13.716 m, sea completely white with driving spray, visibility greatly reduced

 
 
Weather symbol on maps
 
The wind direction is shown by the direction of the weather symbol.
The wind speed is represented by the numbers of stripes on the symbol.
One stripe indicates a wind speed of 10 knots.
One triangle indicates a wind speed of 50 knots.