Physical Science - Weather project
The following scale was designed by Admiral Francis Beaufort as an easy to use way of estimating the wind speed. For the Physical Science Weather project, you're interested in the "Effects on land" column. To find wind direction, one can drop a leaf and see which way it gets blown, or wet a finger and see which side is coolest, which would be the side from where the wind is blown. To find out where North is, enter your address in Google Maps, and by studying the satellite picture of your house, you will be able to see where North is. For maximum and minimum temperatures and pressures, you can go to Weather Underground, enter in your Zip Code, and then look up the History for yesterday.
The Beaufort scale
| No. | Knots | mph | Description | Effects at sea | Effects on land |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0mph | Calm | Sea like a mirror. | Smoke rises vertically. |
| 1 | 1-3 | 1-3mph | Light air. | Ripples, but no foam crests. | Smoke drifts in the wind. |
| 2 | 4-6 | 4-7mph | Light breeze. | Small wavelets. | Leaves rustle. Wind felt on face. |
| 3 | 7-10 | 8-12mph | Gentle breeze. | Large wavelets crests, not breaking. | Small twigs in constant motion. Light flags extended. |
| 4 | 11-16 | 13-18mph | Moderate wind. | Numerous whitecaps | Dust, leaves and loose paper raised. Small branches move |
| 5 | 17-21 | 19-24mph | Fresh wind. | Many whitecaps, some spray. | Small trees sway. |
| 6 | 22-27 | 25-31mph | Strong wind. | Larger waves form. Whitecaps everywhere. More spray. | Large branches move. Whistling in phone wires. Difficult to use umbrellas. |
| 7 | 28-33 | 32-38mph | Very strong wind. | White foam from breaking waves begins to be blown in streaks. | Whole trees in motion. |
| 8 | 34-40 | 39-46mph | Gale. | Edges of wave crests begin to break into spindrift. | Twigs break off trees. Difficult to walk. |
| 9 | 41-47 | 47-54mph | Severe gale. | High waves. Sea begins to roll. Spray may reduce visibility. | Chimney pots and slates removed. |
| 10 | 48-55 | 55-63mph | Storm. | Very high waves with overhanging crests. Blowing foam gives sea a white appearance. | Trees uprooted. Structural damage. |
| 11 | 56-63 | 64-72mph | Severe storm. | Exceptionally high waves. | Widespread damage. |
| 12 | 63 | 73mph | Hurricane force. | Air filled with foam. Sea completely white. Visibility greatly reduced. | Widespread damage. Very rarely experienced on land. |