Beaufort is the scale established by Admiral Francis Beaufort in the early 1800s and is commonly used to indicate the state of the sea and the strength of the wind. In the common language the term "beaufort" is replaced by "force", for example a "sea force 3" indicates a value of beaufort equal to 3.
Normally for small motor boats with sea force 3 navigation is no longer pleasant, while for sailing boats starts the "fun" starting from this value.
| Value (strength) Beaufort | Associated term | Wind force (ms) | Wave height (m) | Sea conditions |
| 0 | Calm | 0 - 0,2 | 0/0 | The sea is completely calm (calm) |
| 1 | Wind Burr | 0,3 - 1,5 | 0,1/0,1 | Light ripples on the surface |
| 2 | Light breeze | 1,6 - 3,3 | 0,2/0,3 | The waves are short and small, not rippling yet. |
| 3 | Tensioned breeze | 3,4 - 5,4 | 0,6/1 | Waves longer than the previous ones and white crevices at the top of the wave begin to be visible |
| 4 | Moderate wind | 5,5 - 7,9 | 1/1,5 | The waves get longer and the waves start to break. |
| 5 | Tensioned wind | 8,0 - 10,7 | 2/2,5 | The waves get longer and the ridges start to spread some spray |
| 6 | Fresh wind | 10,8 - 13,8 | 3/4 | Large waves (large horses) with foam-white ridges |
| 7 | Strong wind | 13,9 - 17,1 | 4/5,5 | The horses swell, the foam formed by the waves is sprayed in the direction of the wind |
| 8 | Burrasca | 17,2 - 20,7 | 5,5/7,5 | The ridges break and form swirling splashes that are sucked in by the wind |
| 9 | Strong storm | 20,8 - 24,4 | 7/10 | Ridges start to break, strips of foam thicker and visibility may be reduced |
| 10 | Storm | 24,5 - 28,4 | 9/12,5 | The sea has a whitish appearance and visibility is reduced |
| 11 | Violent storm | 28,5 - 32,6 | 11,5/16 | The sea is all covered by schools of foam, the wind nebulizes the ridges and visibility is reduced |
| 12 | Hurricane | over 32.7 | > 14 | The air is full of splashes, the foam whitens the sea completely and visibility is very reduced |