SQUALL

This article appears in Volume V25, Page 744 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: SOU-STE

SQUALL , the name given to any sudden increase of wind to

gale

force. Generally speaking a squall is understood to be of short duration, but the word " gust " would be used to indicate an increase of wind force of more transient character than a squall. Gusts may succeed one another several times within the compass of a minute. A squall may comprise a succession of gusts, with intervening partial lulls, and would last with varying intensity for some minutes at least. The distinci n
between gusts and squalls is best illustrated by the traces of a Dines pressure-tube anemograph. The trace reproduced in fig. I for an

ordinary

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

steady wind shows that the force of the wind is constantly oscillating. The general

appearance

APPEARANCE (from Lat. apparere, to appear)

of the trace is a ribbon which has a breadth proportional to the mean wind velocity. The breadth of the ribbon is also dependent upon the nature of the reference; the better the exposure the narrower the ribbon; for an anemograph at a

coast

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

station the ribbon is wider for a shore wind than for a sea wind.
From the records obtained at Scilly and Holyhead, Dr G. C.

Simpson

SIMPSON,
MATTHEW
(1811-1884)
YOUNG
- YOUNG
- YOUNG, A
- YOUNG, ARTHUR (1741-1820)
- YOUNG, BRIGHAM (1801-1877)
- YOUNG, CHARLES MAYNE (1777–1856)
- EDWARD
  - EDWARD
  _16831765_.html">YOUNG,
  EDWARD
  - EDWARD
  (1683–1765)
- YOUNG, JAMES (1811-1883)
- YOUNG,
  THOMAS
  (1773-1829)
_1811_1.html">SIMPSON, SIR JAMES
YOUNG
(1811-1870)
SIMPSON, THOMAS (1710-1761)

concluded. that a wind of mean hourly velocity v was composed of alternations of gusts and lulls ranging on the average between limits -5+1.2v and 5+ 76V with occasional recurrences to extreme velocities of 1.5+I.3V and I'o+65v. In other words, the average range of the ribbon is 5+.45v for the twostations during the hour when the mean velocity is v, and the extreme range within the same period is 2.0+ .685.
The differences of gust velocity at stations with different exposures may be illustrated by quoting the breadth of the ribbon for a 3o m. wind at the following stations:
Southport (Marshside) to m.
Scilly 15
Shoeburyness 20 (from W.)
. . . 10 (from E.N.E.)
Holyhead 15
Pendennis Castle (Falmouth) 8 (from S.)
16 (from \V.)
Aberdeen 30 (from N.W.)
Alnwick Castle 25
Kew 30
Fig. 2 represents a succession of squalls occurring in an

ordinary

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

gusty wind; the squalls succeed one another with

fair

FAIR

regularity about every twenty minutes and last in full force for a few minutes. A
1~ ;'l ird 9a "k IT r P1 1
, riff I~r ~lu'lO L~~dtiIi, 11~4i Vi
Nou
5p.m. 6
5p.m. 6 T 8 9 10 11 Midt. 1a.m. 2 FIG. 2.

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