Gale
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A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong. The U.S. Government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34 to 47 knots (63 km/h to 87 km/h or 39 miles per hour to 54 miles per hour) of sustained surface winds.[1] Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected.
Other sources use minimums as low as 28 knots (52 km/h) and maximums as high as 90 knots (170 km/h). The 90-knot (170 km/h) definition is very non-standard. A common alternative definition of the maximum is 55 knots (102 km/h).[2]
The most common way of measuring winds is with the Beaufort scale (pronounced /ˈboʊfət/). It is an empirical measure for describing wind speed based mainly on observed sea conditions. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale.
[edit] References
- ^ National Weather Service Glossary, s.v. "gale".
- ^ Glossary of Meteorological Terms, NovaLynx Corporation.
[edit] See also
- Beaufort scale (for more on the traditional nautical use of the word "gale")
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