Gale warning notation

A worded warning tied to a defined Beaufort force.

Also known as: Marine wind warning, Storm warning

Maps & navigationSafety & hazardStandard profile

Meanings

A gale warning in a marine forecast means winds of Beaufort force eight or more are expected, and it is defined by that threshold rather than by judgement. Severe gale, storm and violent storm each name a further defined step.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Warns of winds expected to reach Beaufort force eight, with severe gale, storm and violent storm naming forces nine, ten and eleven.
Contexts: Navigation, Maps
Officially standardisedVerified fact
Is defined by a numeric threshold rather than by a forecaster's description, which is what makes the same word mean the same thing in every marine forecast.
Contexts: Navigation, Maps

Visual description

A short printed phrase in a forecast bulletin, with no drawn shape beyond the words and a numeral.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Station model
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a symbol depicts and which authority publishes it, not for the legend of any particular chart series or the text of any standard.
Met Office guidance and warning service
Met Office · retrieved 2026-08-21
The United Kingdom's national meteorological service. Authoritative for British warnings, the shipping forecast and public presentation. Warning colour schemes are national and differ between services.
Manual on Codes and the surface synoptic station model
World Meteorological Organization · retrieved 2026-08-01
Codifies how observations are exchanged between meteorological services. Public forecast graphics are drawn with far more latitude than this allows, so it is cited for the professional convention and never for what a television weather map means.
Beaufort scale
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-23
Tertiary reference, cited for the conventional description of a mark, its usual name and where it is encountered. Where an issuing body defines the mark, that body is cited alongside and governs.
National Weather Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · retrieved 2026-08-21
The American national service. Cited where United States practice differs from British, which it does in warning terminology and in some chart conventions.

Last reviewed 2026-08-23

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Meteorological chart notation

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Meanings

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Warns of winds expected to reach Beaufort force eight, with severe gale, storm and violent storm naming forces nine, ten and eleven.

Contexts: Navigation, Maps

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Is defined by a numeric threshold rather than by a forecaster's description, which is what makes the same word mean the same thing in every marine forecast.

Contexts: Navigation, Maps

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree, but early or supporting evidence is limited, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is documented in encyclopedic references, but multiple independent sources agree.

Sources

Station model
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-01
Tertiary reference. Used for what a symbol depicts and which authority publishes it, not for the legend of any particular chart series or the text of any standard.
Met Office guidance and warning service
Met Office · retrieved 2026-08-21
The United Kingdom's national meteorological service. Authoritative for British warnings, the shipping forecast and public presentation. Warning colour schemes are national and differ between services.
Manual on Codes and the surface synoptic station model
World Meteorological Organization · retrieved 2026-08-01
Codifies how observations are exchanged between meteorological services. Public forecast graphics are drawn with far more latitude than this allows, so it is cited for the professional convention and never for what a television weather map means.
Beaufort scale
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-23
Tertiary reference, cited for the conventional description of a mark, its usual name and where it is encountered. Where an issuing body defines the mark, that body is cited alongside and governs.
National Weather Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · retrieved 2026-08-21
The American national service. Cited where United States practice differs from British, which it does in warning terminology and in some chart conventions.

Last reviewed 2026-08-23