Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
In 1975, the Saffir-Simpson Scale was first published publicly. [6] [8] [10] In 2009, the NHC eliminated pressure and storm surge ranges from the categories, transforming it into a pure wind scale, called the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (Experimental) [SSHWS]. [11] The updated scale became operational on May 15, 2010. [12]
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale is used only to describe hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean east of the International Date Line. Other areas label their tropical cyclones as "cyclones" or "typhoons", and use their own classification systems .
The scale used for a particular tropical cyclone depends on what basin the system is located in; with for example the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale and the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scales both used in the Western Hemisphere. All of the scales rank tropical cyclones using their maximum sustained winds, which are either ...
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale categorizes hurricanes based on their sustained wind speeds. This scale helps to estimate potential property damage. Hurricane categories. Category 1: Winds ...
On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a major hurricane means a Category 3 or higher. The scale includes five categories based on the storm's sustained wind speeds.
What is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale? The Saffir-Simpson scale matches wind speeds with examples of the type of damage and impacts those winds could cause in the USA.
A Category 5 Atlantic hurricane is a tropical cyclone that reaches Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, within the Atlantic Ocean to the north of the equator. They are among the strongest tropical cyclones that can form on Earth, having 1-minute sustained wind speeds of at least 137 knots (254 km/h; 158 mph; 70 m/s).
Once a tropical storm strengthens into a hurricane, it earns a category designation on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: 1 through 5.