Why hurricane wind speeds don't tell the full story Tropical systems begin as tropical depressions, which are areas of low pressure with wind speeds of up to 38 miles per hour. When those winds ...

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season began June 1, and runs through Nov. 30. Forecasters are anticipating an above-average season with 13-19 named storms, 6–10 hurricanes, and 3-5 "major" hurricanes.

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. For a storm to ...

Now the wind means serious business. A storm like Hurricane Sally in 2020 shows what a Category 2 can do. Larger trees are uprooted, flying debris becomes dangerous, and windows can be shattered ...

Wind speeds determine the category of a hurricane, as well as the potential for damage. Category 1: Winds 74 to 95 mph.

Since 2019, eight hurricanes, including Humberto, Zeta, and Rafael, exhibited wind speed increases of at least 25 mph. Gifford noted that 85 percent of storms during this period bore a climate ...

Saharan dust and wind shear are expected to keep the tropics quiet over the next seven days. Elsewhere, the National Hurricane Center is tracking four tropical waves, including two in the ...

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.