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air
1 A mixture of gases that makes up the Earth's atmosphere. It comprises about 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, less than 1% of carbon dioxide and other gases, and varying amounts of water vapour that humans ...
Beaufort wind scale Quick reference
World Encyclopedia
Range of numbers from 0–17 representing the force of winds, together with descriptions of the corresponding land or sea effects.
Beaufort Scale Quick reference
The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (2 ed.)
the internationally recognized scale for wind and weather which was drawn up by Sir Francis Beaufort (1774–1857), a British rear admiral who served as Hydrographer of the Navy from ...
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blizzard
A wind, over 50 kph, which whips up particles of ice and dry, powdery snow, reducing visibility to less than 200 m. See Poulos et al. (2002) Weather & Fcst 17, 5.
breeze
Relatively light wind, often of convective origin. The term also includes particular local air movements, e.g. mountain, land, and sea breezes. See also beaufort scale.
calm
Condition of general lack of wind, indicated by a wind speed of less than 1 knot (0.5 m/s). See also beaufort scale.
depression
An area of low pressure (roughly, below 1 000 mb); see mid-latitude depression. Depression tracks are influenced by the courses of jet streams, energy sources—such as warm seas—and mountain barriers.
force
1 In physics, an influence that acts to set a body in motion or induce an elastic strain within it.2 In meteorology, a subdivision of the Beaufort scale.
Francis Beaufort
(1774–1857) British hydrographerBeaufort was born in Navan in Ireland; his father was a cleric of Huguenot origin who took an active interest in geography and topography, publishing in 1792 one of ...
gale
A wind of force 8 on the Beaufort scale, i.e. one with a mean speed of 34–40 knots (17.2–20.7 m s−1), or gusts reaching 43–51 knots, as measured at the standard anemometer height of 10 m. In common ...
gale warning
An advisory notification issued by a forecasting office that wind speeds reaching force 8 on the Beaufort scale, or gusts over 43 knots, may be expected at sea or on exposed coasts.
ghoster
A light-weather sail used in yachts. It is attached to the topmast stay by hanks and is set when the winds are very light. It is very similar in shape to either a genoa or a yankee, according to ...
hurricane
[from Spanish huracán, from Taino hurakán, hura: ‘wind’]The term used for a tropical cyclone that occurs in the Atlantic, Caribbean, or eastern Pacific.
hurricane force
A surface wind whose average speed exceeds 64 knots (force 12 on the Beaufort scale.)
mistral
Strong, cold, northerly wind that blows offshore with great frequency along the Mediterranean coast from northern Spain to northern Italy, and that is particularly frequent in the lower Rhône valley. ...
monsoon
From the Arabic mausim meaning ‘season’, a seasonal change of wind direction and properties associated with widespread temperature changes over land and water in the subtropics. Seasonal alternations ...
Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale
A standard scale, introduced in 1955 by meteorologists of the US Weather Bureau, for reporting tropical cyclones. It adds a further five categories to the Beaufort scale, and includes the surface ...
soldier's wind
A name given to a steady wind, around force 4 in strength on the Beaufort Scale, when it blows on the beam of a sailing vessel. This is sailing at its simplest and needs no great nautical skill to ...
squall
Short-lived condition with strong winds, which increase by at least 16 knots (30 km/hr). It may include thunder and heavy precipitation. See also line squalls.
storm
Common term for gales, squalls, rainstorms, or thunderstorms. It is used specifically for conditions associated with the active areas of low-pressure systems. ‘Storm-force winds’ are, by definition, ...
