BEAUFORT SCALE

WIND FORCE
AND
GENERAL
WIND EFFECTS ON THE
DESCRIPTION WIND SPEED SEA

0 Calm
Calma
Calme
Calma

m/sec

knots (open sea)

0 - 0,2

up to 1 Sea like a mirror

WAVES
PROBABLE
HEIGHT IN
METERS
average

max

1 Light air
0,3 - 1,5 1 - 3
Bava di vento
Trs lgre
brise
Ventolina

Ripples without foam crests

0,1

0,1

2 Light breeze 1,6 - 3,3 4 - 6

Brezza leggera
Lgre brise
Flojito, Brisa
muy dbil

Small wavelets. Crests have

a glassy appearance and do
not break

0,2

0,3

3 Gentle breeze 3,4 - 5,4 7 - 10 Large wavelets and crests

Brezza tesa
begin to break. Possible
Petit brise
scattered white horses
Flojo, Brisa
dbil

0,6

1,0

4 Moderate
breeze
Vento
moderato
Jolie brise
Bonancible,
Brisa
moderada

1,0

1,5

5 Fresh breeze 8,0 - 10,717 - 21 Moderate waves with many

Vento teso
white horses
Bonne brise
Fresquito,
Brisa fresca

2,0

2,5

6 Strong breeze 10,8 Vento fresco 13,8

Vent frais

3,0

4,0

5,5 - 7,9 11 - 16 Small waves with fairly

frequent white horses

22 - 27 Large waves white foam

crests. Probably some spray

Fresco, Brisa
fuerte
7 Near gale
Vento forte
Grand frais
Frescach,
Viento fuerte

28 - 33 Mounting sea with foam

blown in streaks downwind

4,0

5,5

8 Gale
17,2 Burrasca
20,7
Coup de vent
Viento duro

34 - 40 Moderately high waves with

crests beginning to break into
spindrift

5,5

7,5

9 Strong gale 20,8 Burrasca forte 24,4

Fort coup de
vent
Viento muy
duro

41 - 47 High waves with dense foam

along the direction of the
wind. Crests begin to roll
over and spray may affect
visibility

7,0

10,0

10 Storm
Tempesta
Tempte
Temporal

24,5 28,4

48 - 55 Very high waves with long

overhanging crests. Heavy
sea roll and the surface is
generally white. Visibility
affected

9,0

12,5

11 Violent storm 28,5 Tempesta

32,6
violenta
Violent
tempte
Temporal
duro, Borrasca

56 - 63 Exceptionally high waves.

The sea is completely
covered with foam patches
lying downwind. Visibility
poor

11,5

16,0

14,0

12 Hurricane
Uragano
Ouragan
Huracn

13,9 17,1

over 32,7over 64Huge waves. The air is filled

with foam and spray. Sea
completely white. Visibility
bad