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The Beaufort Wind Scale
This is one way that the strength of the wind is measured. The scale is named after Sir Francis Beaufort, who developed it in 1805 for use by sailors. You can use the Beaufort scale to measure the force of the wind by looking at the effects of the wind on things around you.
| Beaufort Scale | Description | What you'll see on land | |
| Force 0 | Calm 0 km per hour |
Smoke rises vertically | |
| Force 1 | Light air 1-5 km per hour |
Smoke blown by wind | |
| Force 2 | Light breeze 6-11 km per hour |
Leaves rustle, you feel the wind on your face | |
| Force 3 | Gentle breeze 12-19 km per hour |
Leaves and twigs on trees moving constantly. Flags flutter | |
| Force 4 | Moderate breeze 20-30 km per hour |
Wind raise dust and fallen leaves. Paper blows around. Small tree branches sway | |
| Force 5 | Fresh breeze 31-39 km per hour |
Small trees begin to sway | |
| Force 6 | Strong breeze 40-50 km per hour |
Large branches sway. Umbrellas hard to hold, blown inside out | |
| Force 7 | Near gale 51-61 km per hour |
Whole trees sway. You can feel the wind pushing you | |
| Force 8 | Gale 62-74 km per hour |
Difficult to walk in the wind. Twigs broken off trees | |
| Force 9 | Strong gale 75-87 km per hour |
Tiles blown off roofs, tree branches blown down | |
| Force 10 | Storm 88-102 km per hour |
Damage to houses. Whole trees broken or blown over | |
| Force 11 | Violent storm 102-116 km per hour |
Serious damage | |
| Force 12 | Cyclone 117-132 km per hour |
Widespread damage |
Go here to see some drawings of the effects of the wind as measured by the Beaufort Scale
http://rj3sp.blogspot.com/2007/10/beaufort-scale-visualization.html
Thomas, Ron. & Sydenham, S. The Beaufort wind scale [Online] www.kidcyber.com.au (2009)
updated March 2009 © kidcyber