Beaufort scale
[ boh-fert ]
/ ˈboʊ fərt /
noun (no longer in technical use)
a scale of wind forces, described by name and range of velocity, and classified as from force 0 to force 12, or, sometimes, to force 17.
a scale of the states of sea created by winds of these various forces up to and including force 10.
Origin of Beaufort scale
1855–60; named after Sir Francis
Beaufort (1774–1857), British admiral who devised it
British Dictionary definitions for beaufort scale
Beaufort scale
noun
meteorol
an international scale of wind velocities ranging for practical purposes from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane force). In the US an extension of the scale, from 13 to 17 for winds over 64 knots, is used
Word Origin for Beaufort scale
C19: after Sir Francis
Beaufort (1774–1857), British admiral and hydrographer who devised it
Scientific definitions for beaufort scale
Beaufort scale
[ bō′fərt ]
A scale for classifying the force of the wind, ranging from 0 (calm) to 12 (hurricane). A wind classified as 0 has a velocity of less than 1.6 km (1 mi) per hour; a wind classified as 12 has a velocity of over 119 km (74 mi) per hour. Other categories include light air, five levels of breeze, four levels of gale, and storm. The scale was devised in 1805 as a means of describing the effect of different wind velocities on ships at sea. It is named after an admiral in the British navy, Sir Francis Beaufort (1774-1857).