Let's break it down. Big Picture -What It Measures: As the name implies, the current version is strictly a wind scale that rates a hurricane's sustained winds (not gusts) from Category 1 through 5.

The National Hurricane Center uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to categorize hurricanes. Hurricanes are assigned Category 1-5 depending on their wind speeds. We break down the ...

Iona is the first named storm of 2025 in the Central Pacific and is currently a Category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson ...

According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, Tropical Storm Iona is moving west with maximum sustained winds near ...

Tropical systems tracked by the National Hurricane Center will be classified as depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes based on their intensity. Here's how the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale ...

The Saffir-Simpson scale of a hurricane's intensity is used to estimate potential property damage and coastal flooding caused by storm surge. The scale is determined by wind speed. Storm surge ...

Since 1971, meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center have rated tropical systems based on the Saffir-Simpson scale. This is a scale that measures the strongest wind speed around the eye of ...

Following a hurricane at a CATEGORY 4, most of an area will be “uninhabitable” for anywhere between weeks or months. CATEGORY 5: This is the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale.

Hurricane Ian made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, the second-most dangerous rating on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale. Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS ...

Hurricane Ian made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane, the second-most dangerous rating on the Saffir-Simpson intensity scale. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS) ...

ORLANDO, Fla. — With the hurricane season starting soon, you are certain to hear about categories and other terms used to describe hurricane strength. Tropical systems tracked by the National ...