SeaTalks about Weather

I came up with the following to help me remember the Beaufort Wind Scale. It isn't perfect, but it gets you pretty close. See the paragraph down below for an explanation. Force (F) Multiplier (M) (F x M) Actual Knots WMO ============================================================= 0 1 0 0 - 0.9 Calm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 3 3 1 - 3 Light Air 2 3 6 4 - 6 Light Breeze 3 3 9 7 - 10 Gentle Breeze ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 4 16 11 - 16 Moderate Breeze 5 4 20 17 - 21 Fresh Breeze 6 4 24 22 - 27 Strong Wind Warning 7 4 28 28 - 33 Near Gale ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8 5 40 34 - 40 Gale 9 5 45 41 - 47 Strong Gale 10 5 50 48 - 55 Storm 11 5 55 (+5) 56 - 63 Violent Storm 12 5 60 (+5) 64+ Hurricane So, the idea is that for the first Force number (0), you multiply the Force number by one to get the approximate wind speed in knots. For the next three Force numbers (1 - 3), you multiply the Force number by three to get the approximate wind speed in knots. For the next four Force numbers (4 - 7), you multiply the Force number by four to get the approximate wind speed in knots. For the last five Force numbers (8 - 12), you multiply the Force number by five to get the approximate wind speed in knots. However, the last two Force numbers (11 & 12) don't work out quite right, so in addition to multiplying these by five, you also have to add five (i.e. for Force 11, it would be 11 x 5 + 5 = 60, and for Force 12, it would be 12 x 5 + 5 = 65). So, you do have to remember to add five to Force 11 and Force 12, but at least you are adding and multiplying by the same number (i.e. five), so hopefully it isn't too tough to remember. Ok, so, I realize that multiplying the first Force number (0) by one is arbitrary, since any number multiplied by zero is zero, but it helps with the pattern, which is: one row is multiplied by one, three rows are multiplied by three, four rows are multiplied by four, and five rows are multiplied by five. Anyway, if you are good a memorization, then my study aid probably won't help you much, but if you have trouble memorizing random facts, then maybe this will help you. Cheers!

While the text states that lightning will not make the right angle turn from the mast to an anchor chain, why wouldn't this work if a smooth path is created, for example attaching the chain or similar to the shrouds?

"Cold fronts represent the forward moving boundary of cold air that is wrapping down toward the equator behind the Low, eventually wrapping around the Low. " Are you saying that, the Lows tend to pull the Cold Airmass and Front down from the higher/colder longitudes? The cold air mass would initially be "above"/poleward, then behind, then "below" as it gets wrapped around the low, secondary to the Coriolis Effect? That would help me understand the inevitable linkage of those two very different, but often hand-in-hand, wx phenomena.

I use Predict Wind and recently started to understand that it is important to look at different forecast models to get a better understanding of local weather occurrences. Predict Wind provides 8 different models. Does anyone have a system or advice for figuring out which models to look at?

Update?

I got the question on the test wrong. "Bigger waves should be expected with an 'onshore breeze' ". Onshore breeze is your answer. From my surfing days, an offshore breeze held the waves up and kept them bigger. And when I Google this it agrees with me "An onshore breeze typically results in lower wave heights..." But NED AI agrees with your interpretation. It's confusing.

In the second to last paragraph on this page, water vapor pressure is stated in inches of mercury. The numbers shown (17.5 and 16.5) are actually millimeters of mercury. The sentence that says a 1 degree drop in temperature would require a 1 inch of mercury drop in pressure, should say a 1 mm of mercury drop in pressure.