The Beaufort Scale was named after Sir Francis Beaufort ( a hydrographer with the Royal Navy ) and lists the effects of increasing wind speeds.
The scale was originally designed to show the effects the wind on a battleship at sea.
When is a hurricane warning issued?
Hurricane warnings are issued when winds reach 12 on the Beaufort scale, but this would only be a category 1 hurricane.
Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale based on their wind speed.
The scale helps estimate the possible damage a hurricane may cause.
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Hurricanes start out over tropical oceans as a tropical cyclone, ( strong, rotating storm ) when they reach speeds on 74 miles per hour they are categorised as a hurricane or a typhoon if they are in the Northwest Pacific.
Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane at its peak with storm surges over 6m high! Over 1 million people lost their homes and over more than 1000 people died.
New Orleans suffered the worst flooding but the hurricane caused damage in Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and Alabama.
Don’t forget to check out my other fascinating science questions and answers!
I also have a huge collection of weather activities you might like and lots more wind experiments!
Last Updated on September 13, 2021 by Emma Vanstone
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