Everything about The Saffir-simpson Hurricane Scale totally explained
The
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a classification used for most
Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of "
tropical depressions" and "
tropical storms", and thereby become hurricanes. The scale divides hurricanes into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained
winds. In order to be classified as a hurricane, a tropical cyclone must have
maximum sustained winds exceeding 74
mph (33
m/s; 64
kt; 119
km/h). The highest classification in the scale,
Category 5, is reserved for storms with winds greater than 155 mph (69 m/s; 136 kt; 249 km/h).
The classifications are intended primarily for use in measuring the potential damage and
flooding a hurricane will cause upon landfall, although they've been criticized as being too simple. Officially, 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 use different
classification scales to label these storms, which are called "cyclones" or "typhoons", depending on the area.
History
The scale was developed in 1971 by
civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist
Bob Simpson, who at the time was director of the U.S.
National Hurricane Center (NHC). The scale was introduced to the general public in 1973, and saw widespread use after
Neil Frank replaced Simpson at the helm of the NHC in 1974. While performing the study, Saffir realized there was no simple scale for describing the likely effects of a hurricane. Mirroring the utility of the
Richter magnitude scale in describing earthquakes, he devised a 1–5 scale based on
wind speed that showed expected damage to structures. Saffir gave the scale to the NHC, and Simpson added the effects of
storm surge and flooding. The scale doesn't take into account
rainfall or location, which means a Category 2 hurricane which hits a major city will likely do far more damage than a Category 5 hurricane that hits a rural area.
Central pressure values are approximate. Intensity of example hurricanes is from both the time of landfall and the maximum intensity.
The five categories are, in order of increasing intensity:
Category 1
Category 1 storms usually cause no significant
damage to building structures; however, they can tip over unanchored
mobile homes, as well as uproot or snap trees. Poorly attached roof shingles or tiles can blow off. Also, they produce some coastal flooding, as well as minor
pier damage.
Examples of storms of this intensity include:
Hurricane Alice (1954),
Danny (1985),
Jerry (1989),
Ismael (1995),
Gaston (2004), and
Humberto (2007).
Category 2
Storms of this intensity damage some roofing material, and also produce damage to poorly constructed doors and windows. Considerable damage is caused to
vegetation, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Mobile homes, whether anchored or not, are usually badly damaged, and many
manufactured homes also suffer structural damage. Also, small craft in unprotected anchorages may break their
moorings. Both of these scales are continuous, akin to the Richter scale; however, neither of these scales has been used by officials.
Category 6
After the string of incredibly powerful storms of the
2005 Atlantic hurricane season, a few newspaper columnists and scientists brought up the suggestion of introducing Category 6, and they've suggested pegging Category 6 to storms with winds greater than 175 or 180 mph (78–80 m/s; 150–155 knots; 280–290 km/h).
According to Robert Simpson, there's no reason for a Category 6 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale because it's designed to measure the potential damage of a hurricane to man-made structures. If the wind speed of the hurricane is above 250 km/h (156 mph), then the damage to a building will be "serious no matter how well it's engineered". However, the result of new technologies in construction leads some to suggest that an increase in the number of categories is necessary.
Further Information
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