Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
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| Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Wind speed | Storm surge | ||
| mph (km/h) |
ft (m) |
|||
| 5 | ≥156 (≥250) |
>18 (>5.5) | ||
| 4 | 131–155 (210–249) |
13–18 (4.0–5.5) |
||
| 3 | 111–130 (178–209) |
9–12 (2.7–3.7) |
||
| 2 | 96–110 (154–177) |
6–8 (1.8–2.4) |
||
| 1 | 74–95 (119–153) |
4–5 (1.2–1.5) |
||
| Additional classifications | ||||
| Tropical storm |
39–73 (63–117) |
0–3 (0–0.9) |
||
| Tropical depression |
0–38 (0–62) |
0 (0) |
||
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale categorizing mainly Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that go beyond the strength of "tropical depressions" and "tropical storms", and thus become hurricanes. The categories into which the scale separates hurricanes are noted by the strength of their maximum sustained wind speeds. The classifications are used mainly for use in measuring the possible damage and flooding a hurricane will create when it makes landfall.
Very recently, the scale was also used to classify subtropical cyclones after a change in the rules made by the National Hurricane Center in 2002.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used only to describe hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line. Other areas label their tropical cyclones as "cyclones" and "typhoons", and use their own classification scales.
