roaring forties

American  

plural noun

1. either of two areas in the ocean between 40° and 50° N or S latitude, noted for high winds and rough seas.

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Roaring Forties British  

plural noun

1. nautical the areas of ocean between 40° and 50° latitude in the S Hemisphere, noted for gale-force winds

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Etymology

Origin of roaring forties

First recorded in 1875–80

Example Sentences

She adds: "We are on the edge of the roaring forties, we are just a small rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, so we do have some pretty extreme weather."

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2023

The roaring forties describes the area between the latitudes 40 and 50 south of the equator - notorious for strong winds.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2023

The bark County of Pembroke was running her easting down in the roaring forties off the Cape of Good Hope when she shipped a monstrous sea over the lee rail.

From Time Magazine Archive

But whether you are a squeamish voyager among books or so hardened that the roaring forties seem like the doldrums, this book will be a portent and a welcome one.

From Time Magazine Archive

Wellington is the capital of New Zealand; it is likewise the windy port of the Pacific, for it is in the eye of the "roaring forties," the strong west wind of the South Temperate Zone.

From Wealth of the World's Waste Places and Oceania by Gilson, Jewett Castello