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The Beaufort scale or windiness by numbers
Beaufort
scale |
Mean
speed (knots) |
Description
term |
State of Sea | Wave
height (feet) |
0 |
0 |
Calm |
Like a mirror | - |
1 |
2 |
Light
air |
Slight ripple | (1/3) |
2 |
5 |
Light
breeze |
Small wavelets | (1/2) |
3 |
9 |
Gentle
breeze |
Large wavelets; Crests begin to break; a few white horses | 2 |
4 |
13 |
Mod.
breeze |
Small waves; becoming longer; more frequent white horses | 3 |
5 |
19 |
Fresh
breeze |
Moderate waves; longer form; some spray | 6 |
6 |
24 |
Strong
breeze |
Large waves; White foam crests; extensive spray | 10 |
7 |
30 |
Near
gale |
Sea heaps up; foam from breaking waves streaks along wind direction | 13 |
8 |
37 |
Gale |
Moderately high waves; foam in well marked streaks | 18 |
9 |
44 |
Strong
gale |
High waves; crests of waves tumble over; spray affects viability | 23 |
10 |
52 |
Storm |
Very high waves; great patches of white foam in wind; tumbling sea becomes heavy and shock-like. Viability more affected | 29 |
11 |
60 |
Violent
storm |
Exceptionally high waves (medium sized ships lost from view behind waves) Sea covered with long white foam patches; bad viability | 37 |
12 |
oh
shit |
Hurricane |
Air filled with foam and spray; sea completely white with driving spray; visibility very seriously affected. | 50
+ |
The Beaufort scale and what it means.
