Maritime Glossary
Beaufort Scale
Also known as: Beaufort wind force scale
An empirical measure relating wind speed to observed sea and land conditions, numbered 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force).
Status: ActiveVerified: Source confidence: high (96%)
Full Definition
The Beaufort scale was devised by Royal Navy Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort in 1805 and adopted internationally in 1838. Force 0 (< 1 knot) = glassy sea; Force 6 = strong breeze (22–27 kn), sea heaps up; Force 12 (≥ 64 knots) = hurricane with 14-m waves. The scale remains in use in weather bulletins and ships' logs worldwide. Modern extensions to Force 17 are used for tropical cyclone classification.
Domain Tags
navigationmeteorologyseamanship