Beaufort Wind Scale

Written by Administrator

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General Aviation

Ever wondered what a force 8 gale is or how strong a fresh wind is?

Here is the Beaufort wind scale both in km/h and knots and includes descriptive terms on how to visually identify these wind strengths.

 Beaufort
 scale
 number		 Descriptive
 term		 km/h knots Description on Land 
 0 Calm 0 0Smoke rises vertically.
 1 to 3 Light winds <19<10Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; ordinary vanes moved by wind.
 4 Moderate winds 20-29 11-16Raises dust and loose paper; small branches are moved.
 5 Fresh winds 30-39 17-21Small trees in leaf begin to sway; crested wavelets form on inland waters.
 6 Strong winds 40-50 22-27Large branches in motion; whistling heard in telephone wires; umbrellas used with difficulty.
 7 Near gale 51-62 28-33Whole trees in motion; inconvenience felt when walking against wind.
 8 Gale 63-75 34-40Twigs break off trees; progress generally impeded.
 9 Srong gale 76-87 41-47Slight structural damage occurs - roofing dislodged; larger branches break off.
 10 Storm 88-102 48-55Seldom experienced on land; trees uprooted; considerable structural damage.
 11 Voilent storm 103-117 56-63Very rarely experienced on land - widespread damage.
 12+ Hurricane 118+ 64+Very rarely experienced on land - widespread damage.