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General Nautical Terminology,Weather (Meteorology)
Weather (Meteorology)
Nautical weather terminology is like a secret language designed to keep landlubbers guessing. Why say ‘storm’s brewing’ when you can declare there’s a ‘cyclonic gale on the Beaufort scale’? And don’t even get us started on terms like ‘sea state 5’—is that a weather warning or a new action movie? Mariner-speak turns clouds into ‘cumulonimbus monstrosities’ and drizzle into ‘light spindrift.’ Meanwhile, the rest of us are just trying to figure out if we need a raincoat. Don’t worry, we can help you navigate this foggy jargon without needing a barometer tattooed on your arm!
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Met Office
The United Kingdom’s national meteorological service, providing weather and climate science, observations, forecasts and warnings. Its marine services include the Shipping Forecast, gale warnings, inshore-waters forecasts, strong-wind information and specialist products for government, defence, transport and industry. Forecasts describe expected conditions and uncertainty rather than guaranteeing local weather at a vessel. Mariners should combine the…
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Etesian Winds (Meltemi)
Persistent seasonal northerly winds over the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean, most frequent in summer. Known as the meltemi in Greek and Turkish usage, they arise from the pressure pattern between higher pressure over the Balkans and lower pressure over southwest Asia, with strong modification by islands and channels. They are not primarily katabatic winds, although…
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Mistral
A strong, cold, usually dry northerly to north-westerly wind channelled from southern France into the Gulf of Lion and western Mediterranean. It commonly develops when pressure is high to the west or north and lower over the Gulf of Genoa, accelerating air through the Rhône valley and adjacent terrain. The mistral is a channelled regional…
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Bora
A strong, gusty, cold downslope wind blowing from the Balkan interior towards the eastern Adriatic. Dense air crossing mountain passes accelerates down the coastal slopes, commonly producing violent local gusts and sharp spatial changes. Clear bora and cloud-bearing bora occur under different synoptic conditions. The wind is often north-easterly but terrain controls its local direction….
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Katabatic Wind
A downslope wind driven by gravity acting on air that has become colder and denser than its surroundings over elevated ground. Cooling over a plateau, snowfield, glacier or mountain slope creates dense air that drains into valleys and coastal waters. Terrain can channel and accelerate the flow, sometimes producing sudden strong gusts near shore. Katabatic…
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General Nautical Terminology | Nautical Topics | Maritime Language & Traditions | Sea State & Waves | Weather (Meteorology)
Perling
A rare descriptive term for fine rippling or small wavelets on an otherwise relatively smooth water surface. It may be used informally for the first texture produced by a light breeze or minor disturbance, but it is not a standard WMO sea-state or Beaufort-scale classification. Because the term is uncommon and inconsistently documented, forecasts and…
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Land Breeze
A local offshore wind produced when land cools more quickly than adjacent water, usually at night or near dawn. Cooler, denser air over land creates a pressure difference that drives low-level flow towards the relatively warmer water, with a compensating return flow aloft. The circulation is the nocturnal counterpart of a sea breeze. Strength and…
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Clear
Weather with little cloud and no precipitation or obscuration significantly affecting the observer. In everyday marine use, clear conditions normally indicate an open sky and good visibility. The word should not be treated as a complete forecast: strong wind, a difficult sea state, heat, cold or other hazards can exist beneath a clear sky. Visibility…
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Ultraviolet Radiation (UV) (UV)
Electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths shorter than visible light and longer than X-rays. Solar ultraviolet radiation is commonly divided into UVA, UVB and UVC bands. The atmosphere blocks almost all UVC and much UVB, while UVA and some UVB reach the surface and can damage skin and eyes. At sea, exposure may be increased by long…
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
If you belive the Earth is flat, you're about to fall of the end...
