Beaufort scale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Beaufort scale /bofrt/ is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to
observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale,
although it is a measure of wind speed and not of force in the scientific sense.

Contents
1 History
2 Modern scale
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Force 12 at sea.

History
The scale was devised in 1805 by Francis Beaufort (later Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort), an Irish Royal Navy officer, while serving in
HMS Woolwich. The scale that carries Beaufort's name had a long and complex evolution from the previous work of others (including
Daniel Defoe the century before) to when Beaufort was a top administrator in the Royal Navy in the 1830s when it was adopted officially
and first used during the voyage of HMS Beagle under Captain Robert FitzRoy, later to set up the first Meteorological Office (Met Office) in
Britain giving regular weather forecasts.[1] In the early 19th century, naval officers made regular weather observations, but there was no
standard scale and so they could be very subjective one man's "stiff breeze" might be another's "soft breeze". Beaufort succeeded in
standardizing the scale.
The initial scale of thirteen classes (zero to twelve) did not reference wind speed numbers but related
qualitative wind conditions to effects on the sails of a frigate, then the main ship of the Royal Navy,
from "just sufficient to give steerage" to "that which no canvas sails could withstand".[2]
The scale was made a standard for ship's log entries on Royal Navy vessels in the late 1830s and was
adapted to non-naval use from the 1850s, with scale numbers corresponding to cup anemometer
rotations. In 1916, to accommodate the growth of steam power, the descriptions were changed to
how the sea, not the sails, behaved and extended to land observations. Rotations to scale numbers
were standardized only in 1923. George Simpson, C.B.E. (Later Sir George Simpson), Director of the
UK Meteorological Office, was responsible for this and for the addition of the land-based
descriptors.[1] The measure was slightly altered some decades later to improve its utility for
meteorologists. Today, many countries have abandoned the scale and use the metric system based
units, m/s or km/h, instead, but the severe weather warnings given to the public are still
approximately the same as when using the Beaufort scale.
The Beaufort scale was extended in 1946, when forces 13 to 17 were added.[3] However, forces 13
Sir Francis Beaufort
to 17 were intended to apply only to special cases, such as tropical cyclones. Nowadays, the
extended scale is only used in Taiwan and mainland China, which are often affected by typhoons.
Internationally, WMO Manual on Marine Meteorological Services (2012 edition) defined the Beaufort Scale only up to Force 12 and there
was no recommendation on the use of the extended scale.[4]
Wind speed on the 1946 Beaufort scale is based on the empirical relationship:[5]
v = 0.836 B3/2 m/s
Where v is the equivalent wind speed at 10 metres above the sea surface and B is Beaufort scale number. For example, B = 9.5 is related to
24.5 m/s which is equal to the lower limit of "10 Beaufort". Using this formula the highest winds in hurricanes would be 23 in the scale.
Today, hurricane force winds are sometimes described as Beaufort scale 12 through 16, very roughly related to the respective category
speeds of the SaffirSimpson Hurricane Scale, by which actual hurricanes are measured, where Category 1 is equivalent to Beaufort 12.
However, the extended Beaufort numbers above 13 do not match the SaffirSimpson Scale. Category 1 tornados on the Fujita and TORRO
scales also begin roughly at the end of level 12 of the Beaufort scale, but are independent scales although the TORRO scale wind values
are based on the 3/2 power law relating wind velocity to Beaufort force.[6]

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Note that wave heights in the scale are for conditions in the open ocean, not along the shore.

Modern scale

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Beaufort
Description
number

Wind speed
< 1.1 km/h

Calm

< 0.7 mph

< 0.6 knot
< 0.3 m/s
1.15.5 km/h

Light air

0.73.4 mph
0.63 knot
0.31.5 m/s
5.511.9 km/h

Light breeze

3.47.4 mph
36.4 knot
1.53.3 m/s
11.919.7 km/h

Gentle
breeze

7.412.2 mph
6.410.6 knot
3.35.5 m/s
19.728.7 km/h

Moderate
breeze

12.217.9 mph
10.615.5 knot
5.58 m/s
28.738.8 km/h

Fresh breeze

17.924.1 mph
15.521 knot
810.8 m/s
38.849.9 km/h

Strong
breeze

24.131 mph
2126.9 knot
10.813.9 m/s
49.961.8 km/h

High wind,
moderate
gale,
near gale

3138.4 mph
26.933.4 knot
13.917.2 m/s
61.874.6 km/h

Gale,
fresh gale

38.446.3 mph
33.440.3 knot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaufort_scale

Wave
height

Sea conditions

Land conditions

Sea state photo

Associated
Warning Flag

0m
Flat.

Calm. Smoke rises

vertically.

0 ft

00.2 m

01 ft

Smoke drift indicates

wind direction. Leaves
Ripples without crests.
and wind vanes are
stationary.

0.20.5
m
Small wavelets. Crests
of glassy appearance,
not breaking
12 ft

0.51 m

23.5 ft

12 m

3.56 ft

23 m

69 ft

34 m

913 ft

Wind felt on exposed

skin. Leaves rustle.
Wind vanes begin to
move.

Large wavelets. Crests Leaves and small twigs

begin to break;
constantly moving, light
scattered whitecaps
flags extended.

Small waves with

Dust and loose paper
breaking crests. Fairly raised. Small branches
frequent whitecaps.
begin to move.

Moderate waves of
some length. Many
whitecaps. Small
amounts of spray.

Branches of a moderate
size move. Small trees
in leaf begin to sway.

Long waves begin to

form. White foam
crests are very
frequent. Some
airborne spray is
present.

Large branches in
motion. Whistling
heard in overhead
wires. Umbrella use
becomes difficult.
Empty plastic bins tip
over.

Sea heaps up. Some

45.5 m foam from breaking
waves is blown into
streaks along wind
direction. Moderate
1319 ft amounts of airborne
spray.

Whole trees in motion.

Effort needed to walk
against the wind.

Moderately high
5.57.5 waves with breaking
crests forming
m
spindrift. Well-marked
streaks of foam are
1825 ft blown along wind

Some twigs broken

from trees. Cars veer
on road. Progress on
foot is seriously
impeded.

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direction.
Considerable airborne
spray.

17.220.7 m/s
74.688.1 km/h
46.3-54.8 mph

Strong gale
40.347.6 knot
20.724.5 m/s
88.1102.4 km/h

10

Storm,[7]
whole gale

54.863.6 mph
47.655.3 knot
24.528.4 m/s
102.4117.4 km/h

11

Violent
storm

63.672.9 mph
55.363.4 knot
28.432.6 m/s

High waves whose

710 m crests sometimes roll
over. Dense foam is
blown along wind
direction. Large
amounts of airborne
2332 ft spray may begin to
reduce visibility.

Some branches break

off trees, and some
small trees blow over.
Construction/temporary
signs and barricades
blow over.

Very high waves with

overhanging crests.
912.5 Large patches of foam
m
from wave crests give
the sea a white
Trees are broken off or
appearance.
uprooted, structural
Considerable tumbling damage likely.
of waves with heavy
2941 ft impact. Large
amounts of airborne
spray reduce visibility.
Exceptionally high
11.516 waves. Very large
patches of foam,
m
driven before the
wind, cover much of
the sea surface. Very
large amounts of
3752 ft airborne spray
severely reduce
visibility.

Widespread vegetation
and structural damage
likely.

117.4 km/h
14 m
72.9 mph

12

Hurricane
force [7]
63.4 knot
46 ft

Huge waves. Sea is

completely white with
foam and spray. Air is
filled with driving
spray, greatly reducing
visibility.

Severe widespread
damage to vegetation
and structures. Debris
and unsecured objects
are hurled about.

32.6 m/s
The scale is used in the Shipping Forecasts broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom, and in the Sea Area Forecast from Met
ireann, the Irish Meteorological Service. Met ireann issues a "Small Craft Warning" if winds of Beaufort force 6 (mean wind speed
exceeding 22 knots) are expected up to 10 nautical miles offshore. Other warnings are issued by Met ireann for Irish coastal waters, which
are regarded as extending 30 miles out from the coastline, and the Irish Sea or part thereof: "Gale Warnings" are issued if winds of Beaufort
force 8 are expected; "Strong Gale Warnings" are issued if winds of Beaufort force 9 or frequent gusts of at least 52 knots are expected.;
"Storm Force Warnings" are issued if Beaufort force 10 or frequent gusts of at least 61 knots are expected; "Violent Storm Force Warnings"
are issued if Beaufort force 11 or frequent gusts of at least 69 knots are expected; "Hurricane Force Warnings" are issued if winds of greater
than 64 knots are expected.
This scale is also widely used in the Netherlands, Germany,[8] Greece, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malta and Macau, however with some
differences between them. Taiwan uses the Beaufort scale with the extension to 17 noted above. China also switched to this extended
version without prior notice on the morning of 15 May 2006,[9] and the extended scale was immediately put to use for Typhoon Chanchu.
Hong Kong and Macau however keep using force 12 as the maximum.
In the United States, winds of force 6 or 7 result in the issuance of a small craft advisory, with force 8 or 9 winds bringing about a gale
warning, force 10 or 11 a storm warning ("a tropical storm warning" being issued instead of the latter two if the winds relate to a tropical

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cyclone), and force 12 a hurricane force wind warning (or hurricane warning if related to a tropical cyclone). A set of red warning flags
(daylight) and red warning lights (night time) is displayed at shore establishments which coincide with the various levels of warning.
In Canada, maritime winds forecast to be in the range of 6 to 7 are designated as "strong"; 8 to 9 "gale force"; 10 to 11 "storm force"; 12
"hurricane force". Appropriate wind warnings are issued by Environment Canada's Meteorological Service of Canada: strong wind warning,
gale (force wind) warning, storm (force wind) warning and hurricane force wind warning. These designations were standardized nationally in
2008, whereas "light wind" can refer to 0 to 12 or 0 to 15 knots and "moderate wind" 12 to 19 or 16 to 19 knots, depending on regional
custom, definition or practice. Prior to 2008, a "strong wind warning" would have been referred to as a "small craft warning" by
Environment Canada, similar to US terminology. (Canada and the USA have the Great Lakes in common.) However, there being no
generally accepted definition of "small craft", and to have consistency between wind speed ranges and their associated warnings, the phrase
"strong wind warning" has become the national Canadian norm.

See also
American Practical Navigator
CLIWOC
Enhanced Fujita Scale
Douglas Sea Scale
Fujita scale
SaffirSimpson Hurricane Scale
Sea state
Squall
TORRO scale
Tropical cyclone

References
Huler, Scott (2004). Defining the Wind: The Beaufort Scale, and How a 19th-Century Admiral Turned Science into Poetry. Crown.
ISBN 1-4000-4884-2.
1. "National Meteorological Library and Archive Fact sheet 6 The
Beaufort Scale" (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/media/pdf/4
/4/Fact_Sheet_No._6_-_Beaufort_Scale.pdf) (PDF). Met Office.
Retrieved 2011-05-13.
2. Oliver, John E. (2005). Encyclopedia of world climatology.
Springer.
3. Walter J. Saucier (1955). Principles of Meteorological Analysis.
(http://books.google.com/books?id=CM99-uKpR00C&pg=PA407&
lpg=PA407&dq=daily+swan+island+rainfall+data&source=web&
ots=OvGwgh67t9&sig=lwTKWaNSmgGqjFEC6rTIzfynYco&
hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=8&ct=result#PPA415,M1)
Retrieved on 2009-01-09.
4. http://library.wmo.int/pmb_ged/wmo_558_en-v1.pdf
5. Tom Beer (1997). Environmental Oceanography
(http://books.google.com/books?id=pgZtaB-qOmYC&pg=PA224&
dq=%22Beaufort+Scale%22+0.836). CRC Press.
ISBN 0-8493-8425-7.

6. Maiden, Terence. "T-Scale: Origins and Scientific Basis"

(http://www.torro.org.uk/TORRO/severeweather/Tscaleorigin.php).
TORRO. Retrieved 2012-01-04.
7. The names "storm" and "hurricane" on the Beaufort scale refer only
to wind strength, and do not necessarily mean that other severe
weather (for instance, a thunderstorm or tropical cyclone) is present.
To avoid confusion, strong wind warnings will often speak of e.g.
"hurricane-force winds".
8. "Wetterlexikon - Beaufort-Skala" (http://www.deutscherwetterdienst.de/lexikon/index.htm?ID=B&DAT=Beaufort-Skala) (in
German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 2014-02-14.
9. ""__
(http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2006-05-16/06518935033s.shtml)

External links
UK Meteorological Office: The Beaufort Scale (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/marine
Wikimedia Commons has
/guide/beaufortscale.html).
media related to Beaufort
Radio interview (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4794209) with Scott
Scale.
Huler.
OceanWeather.com (http://www.oceanweather.com/data/) gives current graphics for wind,
Wikisource has the text of
waves and temperature.
the 1911 Encyclopdia
Introduction to Physical Oceanography, Open Source Textbook, oceanworld.tamu.edu
Britannica article Beaufort
(http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook/contents.html), cites the original
Scale.
definition formula in chapter 4 (http://oceanworld.tamu.edu/resources/ocng_textbook
/chapter04/chapter04_04.htm).
Howtoons Poster (http://www.howtoons.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/beaufortscale.png) showing effects on land/sea effects at
each step.
US Economic Costs of High Winds (http://www.economics.noaa.gov/?goal=weather&file=events/storm/) NOAA Economics.

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Online calculator: Beaufort scale (http://planetcalc.com/384/).

The Weather Legacy of Francis Beaufort (http://www.islandnet.com/%7Esee/weather/history/beaufort.htm) The history of the
Beaufort Scale.
Ireland's Beaufort was Windscale Inventor (http://www.mii.connect.ie/history/beaufort/beaufort.html) - by Dr John de Courcy Ireland.
Film of Wind Scale (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tdSVqOybqs)
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Beaufort_scale&oldid=660895080"
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