Definition: an empirical measure for describing wind velocity based mainly on observed sea conditions. (noun)

Beaufort #:

Sea Conditions (wave height in meters)
• 0 Flat (0 meters)
• 1 Ripples without crests (0.1 meters)
• 2 Small wavelets. Light breeze. Crests not breaking (0.2 meters)
• 3 Large wavelets. Crests begin to break. Scattered whitecaps (0.6 meters)
• 4 Small waves. Moderate breeze (1 meter)
• 5 Moderate longer waves. Some foam and spray (2 meters)
• 6 Large waves with foam crests and some spray. Strong breeze (3 meters)
• 7 Sea heaps up and foam begins to streak. Moderate gale (4 meters)
• 8 Moderately high waves with breaking crests (5.5 meters)
• 9 High waves with dense foam. Strong gale (7 meters)
• 10 Very high waves. Visibility is reduced. Sea surface is white (9 meters)
• 11 Exceptionally high waves. Violent storm (11.5 meters)
• 12 Huge waves. Air filled with foam and spray. Hurricane (14+ meters)

Also Known As: Beaufort Scale

Examples: The referee made reference to the Beaufort Scale when he made the public announcement about the abandonment of the world championship race.