The Beaufort wind force scale is an empirical measure that relates the mean wind speed to conditions observed at sea or on land. At the start of the 18th century, naval officers recorded weather observations but without classification of how strong winds were.
The scale was invented by Sir Francis Beaufort in 1805, although not officially used until the 1830s by the Royal Navy, when Beaufort was its hydrographer. It was first used during the voyage of HMS Beagle, which carried Charles Darwin around the world. The ship’s captain, Robert FitzRoy, later founded the Meteorological Office where the Beaufort scale was used in shipping forecasts and still is today.
The Beaufort scale ranges from wind force 0, described as calm air, to wind force 12, which is a devastating hurricane. The standardised scale allows sailors to estimate wind strengths by looking at the behaviour of waves at sea and relating them to the number on the Beaufort scale. It can also estimate wind speeds inland by observing the response of things such as smoke and trees.
Storm Gareth may have whipped up some very strong winds in parts of the UK last week, but mean wind speeds were generally about 25-30mph inland and about 40mph along the coastal areas of western Scotland and north-west England. This, according to the Beaufort scale, only classifies as a strong breeze inland and as a gale along the coast.
