the Beaufort scale
noun/ðə ˈbəʊfət skeɪl/
/ðə ˈbəʊfərt skeɪl/
[singular]- a range of numbers used for measuring how strongly the wind is blowing. The lowest number 0 means that there is no wind and the highest number 12 means that there is a hurricane (= a violent storm with very strong winds).
- The storm measured 10 on the Beaufort scale.
Word Originmid 19th cent.: named after Sir Francis Beaufort (1774–1857), the English admiral and naval hydrographer who devised it.
Check pronunciation:
the Beaufort scale