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A gale warning is an advisory or warning issued by the local competent authority in maritime countries about the existence of winds of gale force or above or the imminent occurrence of gales at sea. The purpose of gale warnings is to allow shipping to take precautionary actions to ensure their safety at sea. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... A NOAA national weather forecast This article describes severe weather terminology used by the U.S. National Weather Service. ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for the intensity of the wind based mainly on sea-state or wave conditions. ...

In the United States by the National Weather Service to areas experiencing, or about to experience, winds within the range of 39 to 54 miles per hour (or approximately 37 to 51 knots). The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A knot is a non SI unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour. ...

In the UK gales warnings are issued by the Meteorological Office and are broadcast by radio four times a day at fixed times on 198 metres in the shipping forecast, part of the broadcast output of BBC Radio 4. If there is to be a considerable time before the next Shipping Forecast, an extra gale warning is issued and read out between programmes. Warnings are issued for sea areas surrounding the UK for all predictions of winds of Beaufort Force 8 or above, the forecasts extending as far north as Iceland and as far south as southern Spain. Categories: Stub | Geography of the United Kingdom ... The Shipping Forecast is a regular feature of BBC Radio 4 and is provided by the UK Meteorological Office. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was formed in 1927 by means of a royal charter. ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for the intensity of the wind based mainly on sea-state or wave conditions. ...

Though usually associated with tropical cyclones, winds strong enough to catalyze a gale warning can occur in other conditions as well, including from anticyclones, or high-pressure systems, in the continental interior. However the warning is most commonly issued in coastal areas, and is primarily directed at marine rather than land-based interests — and the term high wind warning is often substituted for "gale warning" in non-maritime settings.

The insignia for a gale warning is two red triangular flags, one placed above the other (only one such flag denoting a small craft advisory). A small craft advisory is a type of warning issued by the National Weather Service in the United States, most frequently in coastal areas. ...