If you’ve lived in Florida for a while, you can probably recite the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale by heart, but for newcomers, the categories might be a little confusing.
The Saffir-Simpson Scale is a 1 to 5 categorization based on the hurricane’s intensity at the indicated time. The scale provides examples of the type of damages and impacts in the United States associated with winds of the indicated intensity.
In general, damages rise by about a factor of four for every category increase. The maximum sustained surface wind speed (peak 1-minute wind at 10 m [33 ft]) is the determining factor in the scale.
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Categories:
- Under 39 mph – tropical depression
- 39 to 73 mph – tropical storm
- 74 to 95 mph – Category 1 hurricane
- 96 to 110 mph – Category 2 hurricane
- 111 to 130 mph – Category 3 hurricane
- 131 to 155 mph – Category 4 hurricane
- 156+ mph – Category 5 hurricane
The scale does not address the potential for such other hurricane-related impacts, as storm surge, rainfall-induced floods, and tornadoes.
