How do you rate the wind?

I occasionally have trouble with wind. This is the outdoor blowy stuff and not what you lot are thinking, have you ever tried to hang a line of washing out when it's windy? Lost yer big red bloomers to a hefty gust or been an almost contender in the Americas cup struggling with sheets?? Have you ever tried to explain to someone just how strong that wind was and never quite had the right words or just lacked the scientific facts? Well this could be the answer you've been looking for, read on...............

So how do you rate the strength of the wind. I don't know about you but I find all this talk about gale force winds, tornadoes, twisters, hurricanes, gusty, blustery, blowy, windy etc etc etc all very confusing.
Wind is wind isn't it? Why all the definitions to describe it?

I do know of some research that has been going on in the UK. Luton in fact. Well if truth be told, my mum & dads back garden to be really precise. They have come up with a unique and if I must say so, a very clever way of determining the strength of the wind.

It is so simplistic in it's design that it must be considered genius.

Ok, how does it work I hear you say, I shall tell you.

But first a short explanation of how it all came about. One day whilst hanging washing out on the line my mum returned inside to exclaim to my dad that 'Hells bells it's windy out there, I had to use 3 pegs."

And so this new terminology was born.
From there-on-in and henceforth etc a winds strength can now be measured on the amount of pegs it takes to keep the washing on the line to prevent it from blowing away never to been seen again, or stopping your smalls from becoming entangled in the neighbours trees, thus preventing any embarrassment by having to explain who the leather thong belongs to!

Anyway I digress, how to measure the wind

1 peg wind : This is generally a calm day with maybe a slight breeze, requiring just one peg at hanging point of garment

2 peg wind : This would denote a fairly gusty wind but still not at Level 3 proportions.

3 peg wind : Very windy, the washing would be flapping quite nicely

4 peg wind : If the need for 4 pegs is required then it could prove too dangerous for the washing to be left outside(remember the thong!!)

5 peg wind : To even consider hanging washing out in a 5 peg wind would be considered very foolish indeed. The loss of washing could be fatal. It is likely that you would never see your washing (thong) again.

I hope you find this useful information and it helps when explaining to others. You really don't need a bad case of wind.

It was a 2 peg wind today