WW2010
University of Illinois

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Strong Winds
determines the intensity of a hurricane
The intensity of a tropical cyclone is measured by the highest sustained wind speed found within it. Once it becomes a hurricane, the relative strength of that hurricane is also measured on a scale based on its greatest wind speed. This scale is named the Saffir-Simpson scale for the men who invented it. The scale is listed below.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Damage-Potential Scale
Scale Number

Category
Central Pressure

mb
inches
Wind Speeds

mi/hr
knots
Storm Surge

feet
meters
Observed
Damage
1 >=980

>=28.94

74-95

64-82

4-5

~1.5

some damage to trees, shrubbery, and unanchored mobile homes
2 965-979

28.50-28.91

96-110

83-95

6-8

~2.0-2.5

major damage to mobile homes; damage buildings' roofs, and blow trees down
3 945-964

27.91-28.47

111-130

96-113

9-12

~2.5-4.0

destroy mobile homes; blow down large trees; damage small buildings
4 920-944

27.17-27.88

131-155

114-135

13-18

~4.0-5.5

completely destroy mobile homes; lower floors of structures near shore are susceptible to flooding
5 <"920"

<"27.17"

>"155"

>"135"

>"18"

>"5.5"

extensive damage to homes and industrial buildings; blow away small buildings; lower floors of structures within 500 meters of shore and less than 4.5 m (15 ft) above sea level are damaged

The Saffir-Simpson scale categorizes hurricanes on a scale from 1 to 5. Category 1 hurricanes are the weakest, and 5's the most intense. Hurricanes strong enough to be considered intense start at category 3 or with sustained winds exceeding 96 knots (111 mph). For reference, there have only been two category 5 hurricanes that made landfall on the mainland U.S. (Florida Keys 1935 and Camille 1969). Recent intense hurricanes to make landfall on the United States were Opal in 1995 and Fran in 1996.


Terms for using data resources. CD-ROM available.
Credits and Acknowledgments for WW2010.
Department of Atmospheric Sciences (DAS) at
the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.