Wind
Primary reference(s)
WMO, 1992. International Meteorological Vocabulary. WMO-No. 182. World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Accessed 25 November 2019.
Additional scientific description
Wind velocity is an important consideration in relation to, for example, airborne pollution and the landing of aircraft (WMO, 2018). Surface wind is considered mainly as a two-dimensional vector quantity specified by two numbers representing direction and speed (WMO, 2018).
The extent to which wind is characterised by rapid fluctuations is referred to as gustiness, and single fluctuations are called gusts (WMO, 2018).
Metrics and numeric limits
An internationally recognised scale for measuring wind is the Beaufort Scale, which is an empirical measure that relates wind speed to observed conditions at sea or on land. Its full name is the Beaufort wind force scale (Royal Meteorological Society, 2018).
The Beaufort wind force scale has 13 levels including: calm, light air, light breeze, gentle breeze, moderate breeze, fresh breeze, strong breeze, near gale, gale, strong gale, storm, violent storm, and hurricane. Of note, the quoted wind speed is that measured at 10 m above ground, not at the surface (which, at 2 m, may be only 50–70% of these values (Royal Meteorological Society, 2018).
Key relevant UN convention / multilateral treaty
Not identified.
Examples of drivers, outcomes and risk management
Wind is a main or contributing component to a number of hazards such as derecho, tropical cyclone, blizzard, sub-tropical cyclone, subtropical storm, tornado, and tropical storm. Wind is also associated with the dispersal of dust storms, volcanic ash and coastal floods (WMO, 2019).
Human health can be severely affected by windstorms (Goldman et al., 2014). Effects include direct effects, which occur during the impact phase of a storm, causing death and injury due to the force of the wind. Becoming airborne, being struck by flying debris or falling trees and road traffic accidents are the main dangers. Indirect effects, occurring during the pre- and postimpact phases of the storm, include falls, lacerations and puncture wounds, and occur when preparing for, or cleaning up after a storm. Power outages are a key issue and can lead to electrocution, fires and burns, and carbon monoxide poisoning from gasoline powered electrical generators. Worsening of chronic illnesses due to lack of access to medical care or medication can also occur. Other health impacts include infections and insect bites.
References
Goldman, A., B. Eggen, B. Golding and V. Murray, 2014. The health impacts of windstorms: a systematic literature review. Public Health, 128:3-28.
Royal Meteorological Society, 2018. The Beaufort Scale: How is wind speed measured?. Accessed 20 November 2019.
WMO, 2018. Guide to Instruments and Methods of Observation. Volume I – Measurement of Meteorological Variables. WMO No.8. World Meteorological Association (WMO). Accessed 9 November 2020.
WMO, 2019. Event Types of Hazards and Extreme Events. World Meteorological Association (WMO). Accessed 9 November 2020.