O'migosh Force 3 Winds!

[RBG]

Currently on MSNBC NEWS http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

(a headline that continuously changes, so don't be surprised if it is not there anymore)

RITA STARTS TO ROAR
Keys Brace For Hurricane;
may reach Force 3 in Gulf

Force 3 on the Beaufort Scale for wind & sea conditions:

Knots: 7 - 10; gentle breeze;
Large wavelets; some crests begin to
break; foam of glassy appearance.
Occasional white foam crests

http://www.pacificbliss.com/chart.html

I think they were trying to say "may reach Category 3 in Gulf".

RBG

[Donnie B.]

Heheh, yeah, that's some doozy of a storm! 7 - 10 knots will actually ruffle your hair somewhat.

I've also heard the expression "level 3" applied to hurricanes, but I don't think that's really correct either. But at least it doesn't have any other meteorological meaning that I'm aware of -- or is that used for the tornado rating scale?

[Sam5]

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml

Category Three Hurricane:
Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr). Storm surge generally 9-12 ft above normal. Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage blown off trees and large trees blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the center of the hurricane. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by battering from floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more. Evacuation of low-lying residences with several blocks of the shoreline may be required. Hurricanes Jeanne and Ivan of 2004 were Category Three hurricanes when they made landfall in Florida and in Alabama, respectively.

[cyswxman]

Heheh, yeah, that's some doozy of a storm! 7 - 10 knots will actually ruffle your hair somewhat.

I've also heard the expression "level 3" applied to hurricanes, but I don't think that's really correct either. But at least it doesn't have any other meteorological meaning that I'm aware of -- or is that used for the tornado rating scale?
The tornado rating scale uses an F-scale derived by Dr. Fujita. Hurricanes are denoted by a catagory. The F-scale for tornados has wider ranges between the numerical thresholds than the catagorical scale applied to hurricanes. There is no "level" scale that is used meteorologically.

[Kristophe]

There is no "level" scale that is used meteorologically.
That's just 'cause meteorologists are notoriously bad at gaining XP.