Keywords:

Wind: Moving air
Beaufort Number: special number to describe the type of wind

What is wind?

The wind is air in motion. When air moves from one place to another, the wind is formed. You must have all experienced a windy day! Strong winds blow from one place to another!  The wind has a speed and a direction.

If we cannot see the wind, how do we know that it moves?

We know about the movement of wind by understanding the movement of objects on which the wind exerts its force.  We observe different effects of the wind which tells us the direction in which the wind is moving.

Light winds such as a cool breeze can have a calming effect on us but strong winds do not!  We can feel the wind’s movement on our bodies. We can tell if it is a light breeze or a strong gush of wind.

The force of wind carries things with it. The movement of dust particles through the air lets us know that wind is moving. The force of a strong wind can make a pile of newspapers fly!

During monsoons, it becomes difficult to walk with an umbrella when there are strong winds as the umbrella gets pulled in the direction of the wind flow.

Extremely strong winds such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, and cyclones can tear apart the roof of a house and knock vehicles over! The wind is not good for us always, Mother Nature can be very angry indeed!

How can we know when the wind is safe and when it is dangerous?  We can know by observing the air movement around us and its effect on our surroundings.   We can compare it with the Beaufort number.  Each type of wind is known by a special number called Beaufort Number.

The winds with numbers 6 and above are strong winds and have a lot of energy. Stormy winds can do serious damage such as uprooting trees, damaging houses, etc.  They can cause a lot of damage to life and property.