Engineering ToolBox - Resources, Tools and Basic Information for Engineering and Design of Technical Applications!

Beaufort's Wind Scale

The Beaufort description and observation scale for wind and wind speed.

The Beaufort wind scale, which is used to describe the force of the wind, was invented by Admiral Beaufort in 1805. With some experience with the use of the scale the wind force can be estimated with reasonable accuracy.

The Beaufort wind scale is divided into series of values, from zero for calm winds, up to twelve and above for hurricanes. Each value represents a specific range and a classification of wind velocity with an accompanying descriptions of the effects on surface features.

The Beaufort Wind Scale
Beaufort No.Description of windObservationMean Wind Speed

(knots)



0 Calm Smoke rises vertically. The sea is mirror smooth. 0 - 1
1 Light Air Direction of wind shown by smoke drift but not by vanes. Scale-like ripples on sea, no foam on wave crests. 1 - 3
2 Light Breeze Wind felt on face, leaves rustle, ordinary vanes moved by wind. Short wavelets, glassy wave crests. 4 - 6
3 Gentle Breeze Leaves and small twigs in constant motion, wind extends light flag 7 - 10
4 Moderate Breeze Raises dust and loose paper, small branches moved. Fairy frequent whitecaps occur. 11 - 16
5 Fresh Breeze Small trees in leaf begin to sway. Moderate waves, many white foam crests. 17 - 21
6 Strong Breeze Large branches in motion, whistling heard in telegraph wires. Some spray on the sea surface. 22 - 27
7 Moderate (Near) gale Whole trees in motion, inconvenience felt when walking into wind. Foam on waves blows on streaks. 28 - 33
8 Gale Twigs broken of trees, generally impeded progress. Long streaks on foam appear on sea. 34 - 40
9 Strong gale Straight structural damage, e.g. slates and chimney pots removed from the roofs. High waves, crest start to roll over. 41 - 47
10 Storm Trees uprooted, considerable structural damage. Exceptionally high waves, visibility affected. 48 - 55
11 Violent Storm Widespread damage 56 - 63
12 Hurricane Air is filled with spray and foam. > 64

Beaufort Wind Scale

Download and print Beaufort Wind Scale in pdf-format

Related Topics

  • Environment

    Climate, meteorology, solar, wind, emissions and environmental related engineering resources.
  • Miscellaneous

    Engineering related topics like Beaufort Wind Scale, CE-marking, drawing standards and more.

Related Documents

Search

Search is the most efficient way to navigate the Engineering ToolBox.

Engineering ToolBox - SketchUp Extension - Online 3D modeling!

3D Engineering ToolBox Extension to SketchUp - add parametric components to your SketchUp model

Add standard and customized parametric components - like flange beams, lumbers, piping, stairs and more - to your Sketchup model with the Engineering ToolBox - SketchUp Extension - enabled for use with older versions of the amazing SketchUp Make and the newer "up to date" SketchUp Pro . Add the Engineering ToolBox extension to your SketchUp Make/Pro from the Extension Warehouse !

Translate this Page

Translate this page to Your Own Language .

About the Engineering ToolBox!

Privacy Policy

We don't collect information from our users. More about

We use a third-party to provide monetization technologies for our site. You can review their privacy and cookie policy here.

You can change your privacy settings by clicking the following button: .

Citation

This page can be cited as

  • The Engineering ToolBox (2003). Beaufort's Wind Scale. [online] Available at: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/beaufort-wind-scale-d_184.html [Accessed Day Month Year].

Modify the access date according your visit.

3D Engineering ToolBox - draw and model technical applications! 2D Engineering ToolBox - create and share online diagram drawing templates! Engineering ToolBox Apps - mobile online and offline engineering applications!

Unit Converter

















































11.4.12

.