Beaufort Scale

Beaufort number>Wind speedDescriptionWave heightSea conditionsLand conditionsSea state photo
km/hmphktsm/smft
0<1<1<1<0.3Calm00Flat.Calm. Smoke rises vertically.
11-51-31-20.3-1.5Light air0.10.33Ripples without crests.Wind motion visible in smoke.
26-113-73-61.5-3.3Light breeze0.20.66Small wavelets. Crests of glassy appearance, not breakingWind felt on exposed skin. Leaves rustle.
312-198-127-103.3-5.5Gentle Breeze0.62Large wavelets. Crests begin to break; scattered whitecapsLeaves and smaller twigs in constant motion.
420-2813-1711-155.5-8.0Moderate breeze13.3Small waves.Dust and loose paper raised. Small branches begin to move.
529-3818-2416-208.0-10.8Fresh breeze26.6Moderate (1.2 m) longer waves. Some foam and spray.Branches of a moderate size move. Small trees begin to sway.
639-4925-3021-2610.8-13.9Strong breeze39.9Large waves with foam crests and some spray.Large branches in motion. Whistling heard in overhead wires. Umbrella use becomes difficult.
750-6131-3827-3313.9-17.2High wind, Moderate Gale, Near Gale413.1Sea heaps up and foam begins to streak.Whole trees in motion. Effort needed to walk against the wind.
862-7439-4634-4017.2-20.7Fresh Gale5.518Moderately high waves with breaking crests forming spindrift. Streaks of foam.Twigs broken from trees. Cars veer on road.
975-8847-5441-4720.7-24.5Strong Gale723High waves (6-7 m) with dense foam. Wave crests start to roll over. Considerable spray.Larger branches break off trees, and some small trees blow over. Construction/temporary signs and barricades blow over. Damage to circus tents and canopies.
1089-10255-6348-5524.5-28.4Whole Gale/Storm929.5Very high waves. Large patches of foam from wave crests give the sea a white appearance. Considerable tumbling of waves with heavy impact. Large amounts of airborne spray reduce visibility.Trees are broken off or uprooted, saplings become bent and/or deformed, poorly attached asphalt shingles and shingles in poor condition peel off roofs.
11103-11764-7256-6328.4-32.6Violent storm11.537.7Exceptionally high waves. Very large patches of foam, driven before the wind, cover much of the sea surface. Very large amounts of airborne spray severely reduce visibility.Widespread vegetation damage. Many roof shingles and surfaces sustain damage; gravel may be blown from flat roofs.
12≥118≥73≥64≥32.6Hurricane≥14≥46Huge waves. Sea is completely white with foam and spray. Air is filled with driving spray, greatly reducing visibility.Considerable and widespread damage to vegetation, a few windows broken, structural damage to mobile homes and poorly constructed sheds and barns. Debris may be hurled about.