| Beaufort Number |
General Description |
Beaufort's Criterion |
| 0 |
Calm |
Calm |
| 1 |
Light Air |
Just sufficient to give steerage way |
| 2 |
Light Breeze |
With which a well-conditioned
man of war, under all sail, and ‘clean full’,
would go in smooth water from |
1 to 2 knots |
| 3 |
Gentle Breeze |
3 to 4 knots |
| 4 |
Moderate Breeze |
5 to 6 knots |
| 5 |
Fresh Breeze |
In which the same ship could just carry close hauled... |
royals etc. |
| 6 |
Strong Breeze |
single-reefs and top-gallant sails |
| 7 |
Moderate Gale |
double-reefs, jib, etc. |
| 8 |
Fresh Gale |
triple-reefs, courses, etc. |
| 9 |
Strong Gale |
close-reefs and courses |
| 10 |
Whole Gale |
With which she could only bear close-reefed
maintop–sail and reefed fore-sail |
| 11 |
Storm |
With which she
would be reduced to storm staysails |
| 12 |
Hurricane |
To which she could show no canvas
|
