Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Twelve steps run from calm air to a hurricane, once judged by the canvas a ship carried. The figure is taken from Met Office, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a science fact?

Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

The Beaufort scale describes wind by its effects

Twelve steps run from calm air to a hurricane, once judged by the canvas a ship carried Francis Beaufort devised the scale in 1805 for naval use, linking wind strength to the canvas a ship could carry. Later versions describe smoke, trees and waves instead. Force 0 is calm, force 8 is a gale and force 12 is a hurricane. It sits in Mondo's science collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Met Office

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

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Tags: measurement, weather, history

The Beaufort scale describes wind by its effects: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Twelve steps run from calm air to a hurricane, once judged by the canvas a ship carried. The figure is taken from Met Office, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a science fact?: Yes. It sits on the Science shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.