Cumulonimbus and aviation at this altitude, updraughts with speeds that can exceed . Such an updraught speed corresponds to the wind speed of a small hurricane. The speed can even exceed . The maximum number in the Beaufort scale is 12 ("hurricane force" wind) and is assigned to wind speeds of 64 knots or greater. If the Beaufort scale were extended, these updraughts would have a Beaufort number of 14 "in the vertical direction". The turbulence is then "extreme" at this altitude. Moreover, the diameters of the updraught columns vary between 2 km (air mass thunderstorm) and 10 km (supercell thunderstorm). The height
Great Storm of 1854 was commanded to set up a storm warning system; this later developed into an international meteorological service. Though it is impossible to precisely calculate the strength or speed of the wind, estimates have placed it around force 11 on the Beaufort Scale. Great Storm of 1854 The Great Storm of 1854 (also known as the Balaklava Storm) occurred in and around the Black Sea on 14 November 1854. It caused severe damage and caused major disruption to armed forces (and especially naval forces) in the region engaged in the Crimean War. At the time of the storm, the British and