Beginner’s guides

Beginner’s Guide to wind speeds and safety when walking and hiking

By Jonathan Elder

Published on December 3, 2024 2 min read

Reading a mountain weather forecast recently it gave wind speeds in metres per second, and I realised that I had no clear impression of what that meant.

So here’s a comparison of KM/H, MPH, M/s and Beaufort Gale Speeds.

Wind speed chart

Wind Force | Name | Speed: km/h | Speed: mph | Speed: m/s | Description
0 | Calm | <1 | <1 | <1 | Smoke rises vertically. Water like a mirror, rain drops straight down.
1 | Light Air | 1-5 | 1-3 | 1 | Smoke drifts slightly. Water rippled
2 | Light Breeze | 6-11 | 4-7 | 2-3 | Wind felt on face; leaves rustle; wind vanes moved by wind. Small wavelets on water
3 | Gentle Breeze | 12-19 | 8-12 | 3-5 | Leaves and small twigs in constant motion; light flags extended. Large wavelets on water
4 | Moderate Breeze | 20-28 | 13-18 | 6-8 | Small branches moved. Dust blown occasionally.
5 | Fresh Breeze | 29-38 | 19-24 | 8-11 | Small trees in leaf begin to sway. Moderate waves form on open water
6 | Strong Breeze | 38-49 | 25-31 | 11-14 | Large branches in motion; whistling heard in phone lines; umbrellas used with difficulty. Large waves with foam crests at sea. Waterproof trousers useful.
7 | Near Gale | 50-61 | 32-38 | 14-17 | Whole trees sway; walking into the wind become noticeably harder. Umbrellas become useless.
8 | Gale | 62-74 | 39-46 | 17-21 | Twigs break off trees, walking made difficult. Wave crests begin to break into spindrift. Avoid walking under trees.
9 | Strong Gale | 75-88 | 47-54 | 21-24 | Strong wind, making it very hard to walk. Even larger loose objects moved, like bins and trampolines. Some damage likely.
10 | Storm | 89-102 | 55-63 | 25-28 | Trees uprooted, damage to buildings and fences likely. Sea surface is largely white. Dangerous near trees and coasts.
11 | Violent Storm | 103-117 | 64-72 | 29-33 | Extreme weather rarely seen in mainland Britain. Extensive damage likely. Walking hazardous everywhere.
12 | Hurricane | 118+ | 73+ | 34+ | STAY INSIDE!

Remember that wind speeds will be higher on exposed paths and peaks! A good rule of thumb is to expect wind speeds roughly two or three times faster on an exposed peak compared to the valley below. A blustery 40 km/h in a valley could be a dangerous 120km/h on a nearby mountain peak.

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By Jonathan Elder

Jonathan helps run the OS Shop and GetOutside, and in his free time can be found walking, playing computer games or, in the winter, falling off mountains with a plank of wood strapped to his feet.