Dear Tom,
If wind is defined as the measure of air movement, and calm designates an absence of movement, isn’t the term “calm winds” incorrect?
Dick Lee
Dear Dick,
You are absolutely right, though many people–including some meteorologists–commonly use the term calm winds, it is not correct. Wind is defined as any natural movement of air relative to the Earth’s surface, and if the air is not moving, then by definition, there is no wind. In the Beaufort Wind Scale, a wind reporting system in international use, a calm condition is reported when smoke rises vertically or the sea surface is smooth and mirror-like.
The misuse of this term was a pet peeve of longtime Chicago radio personality and television weatherman, the late Jim Hill. Jim would always use the correct terminology by stating, “There is no wind; the air is calm.”
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Tom Skilling is chief meteorologist at WGN-TV. His forecasts can be seen Monday through Friday on WGN-TV News at noon and 9 p.m.
WGN-TV meteorologists Steve Kahn, Richard Koeneman and Paul Dailey plus weather producer Bill Snyder contribute to this page.
