Wind speeds at that threshold are a "10" on the Beaufort Wind Scale, which is used to estimate wind strengths. The scale is numbered from 0 (calm conditions) to 12 (hurricane force winds).

The scale has been in use for decades and gives an idea about what kind of wind damage a hurricane can produce, but it says nothing about impacts from storm surge, flooding rain and tornadoes.

A review of data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shows that the combination of solar and wind accounted for over 90% of new ...

Let's break it down. Big Picture -What It Measures: As the name implies, the current version is strictly a wind scale that rates a hurricane's sustained winds (not gusts) from Category 1 through 5.