A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong. The U.S. Government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines a gale as 34 to 47 knots (62.7 km/hr to 86.9 km/hr or 39 miles per hour to 54 miles per hour) of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are expected. Gale can be a surname. ... For other uses, see Wind (disambiguation). ... The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a scientific agency of the United States Department of Commerce focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Severe weather terminology. ...

Other sources use minimums as low as 28 knots and maximums as high as 90 knots. The 90 knot definition is very non-standard. A common alternative definition of the maximum is 55 knots.

For more on the traditional nautical use of the word gale, see Beaufort scale. Force 12 at sea. ...

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