roaring forties

English

Noun

roaring forties pl (plural only)

1. (geography, meteorology) The area of the earth between 40 and 50 degrees south, prone to gale-force westerly winds.
   • 1998, Derek Lundy, chapter 1, in Godforsaken Sea: Racing the World's Most Dangerous Waters‎^[1], page 5:

     Its official demarcation is forty degrees south latitude. It includes the latitudes sailors long-ago nicknamed the roaring forties, the furious fifties, and the screaming sixties. It's an area of almost constant high wind and frequent gales, often exceeding hurricane strength.

Translations

area of the earth between 40 and 50 degrees south

• French: quarantièmes rugissants (fr)

See also

• furious fifties
• screaming sixties

References

• Roaring forties at Encyclopædia Britannica
• http://www.scienceandthesea.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=283&Itemid=10