Knots vs mph vs km/h for wind speed

A knot is one nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile is based on one minute of latitude, which made it handy for navigation, and marine forecasts have used knots ever since. Lakeglance shows wind in knots to match marine forecasts, sailing instructions and most boating references.

Conversions

• 1 knot = 1.151 miles per hour
• 1 knot = 1.852 kilometers per hour
• 1 mph = 0.869 knots
• 1 km/h = 0.540 knots

For a quick mental conversion, add 15 percent to knots to get mph.

Common speeds

Knots	mph	km/h	What it feels like on a lake
5	6	9	Ripples, light sailing breeze
10	12	19	Small waves, good sailing
15	17	28	Scattered whitecaps, hard work in a kayak
20	23	37	Frequent whitecaps, small boats struggle
25	29	46	Rough water, most small craft stay in

Park and rental wind limits are often written in mph, while marine advisories use knots. Check which unit a rule uses before you compare it with a forecast.