Beaufort Wind Scale
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008The Beaufort scale (pronounced /ˈboʊfət/) is an empirical measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
| Windspeed in MPH |
Description - Visible Condition |
| 0 | Calm smoke rises vertically |
| 1 - 4 | Light air direction of wind shown by smoke but not by wind vanes |
| 4 - 7 | Light breeze wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary wind vane moved by wind |
| 8 - 12 | Gentle breeze leaves and small twigs in constant motion; wind extends light flag |
| 13 - 18 | Moderate breeze raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved |
| 19 - 24 | Fresh breeze small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland water |
| 25 - 31 | Strong breeze large branches in motion; telephone wires whistle; umbrellas used with difficulty |
| 32 - 38 | Moderate gale whole trees in motion; inconvenience in walking against wind |
| 39 - 46 | Fresh gale breaks twigs off trees; generally impedes progress |
| 47 - 54 | Strong gale slight structural damage occurs; chimney pots and slates removed |
| 55 - 63 | Whole gale trees uprooted; considerable structural damage occurs |
| 64 - 72 | Storm very rarely experienced; accompanied by widespread damage |
| 73+ | Hurricane devastation occurs |
