Measuring Wind Module 1: Student Sheet 3 Student Wind Report Student Name: _________________________________ Date: __________________


Beaufort Wind Scale Wind speed is measured by using a scale of 0-12 based on visual clues originally developed in 1806 by Sir Francis Beaufort. He developed a rating system to make accurate recordings of wind speed. This system was developed for sailors, but has since been modified by the National Weather Service for use on land.


History of the Beaufort Wind Scale According to the National Weather Service, The Beaufort Wind Force Scale was developed by Rear Admiral, Sir Francis Beaufort, who was born in Ireland in 1774. Beaufort is said to have had an illustrious career on the seas and by 1800 had risen to the rank of Commander. In the summer of 1805, Commander Beaufort was appointed to the command of the Woolwich, a 44- gun man-of-war. It was at this time that he devised his wind force scale. By 1838, the Beaufort Wind Force Scale was made mandatory for log entries in all ships of the Royal Navy. Although he describes them in terms that may be vague to a modern sailor, his descriptions would certainly convey the full meaning of the force of the wind to men who shared years of sailing in ships with characteristics similar to the Woolwich.


The effect of the wind on an 18th-century fighting ship is at the heart of Beaufort’s scale. Note that Beaufort intends that you look at the ship, not at the wind! The scale was devised for a group of men who shared the same experience – years of unremitting blockade of Europe in sailing ships, which were all quite similar in characteristics. His descriptions are in terms of the ship’s characteristics under sail. The descriptions for Beaufort numbers 0 through 4 describe the wind in terms of the speed that it may propel the ship; those for 5 through 9 in terms of her mission and her sail carrying ability; and those for 10 through 12 in terms of her survival.


Directions: According to Beaufort’s Wind Scale on Student Sheet 4, give a weather report for your location. Use the back of this worksheet. Make sure to mention wind speed, direction and use the term from the National Weather Service.


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