Anemometers measure wind

Yesterday I walked past the large fountain at Temple Square yesterday and saw an anemometer spinning on a post. "That's funny," I thought. "Why is the church interested in winds?" I sat on a bench and worked on some homework for an hour. Then the reason for the anemometer dawned on me! The fountain hadn't turned on because it was windy. When the wind is high they keep the fountain off so the water doesn't blow on people.

On a day that isn't windy the fountain looks like this...

This isn't the first one I've seen an anemometer on the church's property. I've seen anemometers at several temples, including the Provo temple. My brother confirmed my theory. He had read an article earlier about the new anemometer installed at the new Provo City Center temple for the new fountain.

Anemometer at the Provo Utah temple

Anemometer at the Provo City Center Temple

Here's the new fountain being installed...