The Beaufort Scale—officially known as the Beaufort Wind Force Scale—is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. The scale is named for Sir Francis Beaufort of the British Royal Navy, who in 1805 devised a method of describing wind force according to procedures for setting sails on a warship.

The Beaufort Scale depicts the force of the wind by a series of numbers from 0 to 12 and can be used to determine the strength of umbrellas during weather events. Reference the table below for more information.