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The Beaufort Scale
One of the first scales to estimate wind speeds and the effects was created by Britain's Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857). He developed the scale in 1805 to help sailors estimate the winds via visual observations. The scale starts with 0 and goes to a force of 12. The Beaufort scale is still used today to estimate wind strengths.
| Force | Wind (Knots) | WMO Classification | Appearance of Wind Effects on Water | Appearance of Wind Effects on Land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Less than 1 | Calm | Sea surface smooth and mirror-like | Calm, smoke rises vertically |
| 1 | 1-3 | Light Air | Scaly ripples, no foam crests | Smoke drift indicates wind direction, still wind vanes |
| 2 | 4-6 | Light Breeze | Small wavelets, crests glassy, no breaking | Wind felt on face, leaves rustle, vanes begin to move |
| 3 | 7-10 | Gentle Breeze | Large wavelets, crests begin to break, scattered whitecaps | Leaves and small twigs constantly moving, light flags extended |
| 4 | 11-16 | Moderate Breeze | Small waves 1-4 ft. becoming longer, numerous whitecaps | Dust, leaves, and loose paper lifted, small tree branches move |
| 5 | 17-21 | Fresh Breeze | Moderate waves 4-8 ft taking longer form, many whitecaps, some spray | Small trees in leaf begin to sway |
| 6 | 22-27 | Strong Breeze | Larger waves 8-13 ft, whitecaps common, more spray | Larger tree branches moving, whistling in wires |
| 7 | 28-33 | Near Gale | Sea heaps up, waves 13-20 ft, white foam streaks off breakers | Whole trees moving, resistance felt walking against wind |
| 8 | 34-40 | Gale | Moderately high (13-20 ft) waves of greater length, edges of crests begin to break into spindrift, foam blown in streaks | Whole trees in motion, resistance felt walking against wind |
| 9 | 41-47 | Strong Gale | High waves (20 ft), sea begins to roll, dense streaks of foam, spray may reduce visibility | Slight structural damage occurs, slate blows off roofs |
| 10 | 48-55 | Storm | Very high waves (20-30 ft) with overhanging crests, sea white with densely blown foam, heavy rolling, lowered visibility | Seldom experienced on land, trees broken or uprooted, "considerable structural damage" |
| 11 | 56-63 | Violent Storm | Exceptionally high (30-45 ft) waves, foam patches cover sea, visibility more reduced | |
| 12 | 64+ | Hurricane | Air filled with foam, waves over 45 ft, sea completely white with driving spray, visibility greatly reduced |
