The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS), formerly the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale (SSHS), classifies hurricanes–Western Hemispheretropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions, and tropical storms–into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds. To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical cyclone must have maximum sustained winds of at least 74mph (33m/s; 64kn; 119km/h) (Category 1). The highest classification in the scale, Category5, is reserved for storms with winds exceeding 156mph (70m/s; 136kn; 251km/h).
The classifications can provide some indication of the potential damage and flooding a hurricane will cause upon landfall.
Animation showing an example of hurricane wind damage as measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
To learn more about hurricane winds and tropical cyclones, see the MetEd lesson, Introduction to Tropical Meteorology, 2nd Edition Chapter 8: Tropical Cyclones (https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=868)
published: 23 Oct 2015
Behind the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Discovery-News.com: Hurricanes played a big part in Robert Simpson's life, which is why his name is on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. James Williams gets the details.
For more science news stories, check out http://www.discovery-news.com
published: 31 Oct 2008
How Strong Is A Hurricane: An Overview Of The Saffir-Simpson Scale
Dave walks through the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale and how wind speed plays a role in potential damage
published: 25 Aug 2017
Hurricane categories explanation: what is the Saffir-Simpson scale?
With any hurricane, you'll see different hurricane categories, such as Categore 2 or Category 3. But what do those mean? Meteorologist Danielle Miller explains the Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes.
published: 28 Aug 2019
WUTV explores Saffir-Simpson Scale and is it enough in predicting Hurricanes?
Michael Lowry and Mike Bettes discuss details of hurricane force winds and their impact
published: 13 Oct 2016
Saffir Simpson Scale Explained
Check out the levels of damage expected with each level of increase on the Saffir Simpson Scale
published: 25 Aug 2017
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
published: 14 Oct 2018
What is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale?
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is used to define tropical cyclone events by their wind speed and impacts. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale consists of a five point scale of hurricane intensity and starts at 74 mph. Tropical cyclones with wind speeds up to 38mph are classified as tropical depressions and those with wind speeds from 39 - 73 mph are classified as tropical storms.
You may also enjoy:
– Podcasts exploring weather and climate https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_brL5mcfsqI4cu42ueHttv0
– Daily weather forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_Zew9xGAqYVtGjYHau-E2yL
– Deep dive in-depth forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_ZGnhyYdlEpdYrjZ-Pmj2rt
Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a single lesson abo...
published: 27 Jul 2018
KPRC 2 Chief Meteorologist Frank Billingsley explains the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale
published: 27 Sep 2022
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: what is it, how is it used to rate hurricanes?
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is used to rate the intensity of hurricanes.
Animation showing an example of hurricane wind damage as measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
To learn more about hurricane winds and tropical cyclones, se...
Animation showing an example of hurricane wind damage as measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
To learn more about hurricane winds and tropical cyclones, see the MetEd lesson, Introduction to Tropical Meteorology, 2nd Edition Chapter 8: Tropical Cyclones (https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=868)
Animation showing an example of hurricane wind damage as measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
To learn more about hurricane winds and tropical cyclones, see the MetEd lesson, Introduction to Tropical Meteorology, 2nd Edition Chapter 8: Tropical Cyclones (https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=868)
Discovery-News.com: Hurricanes played a big part in Robert Simpson's life, which is why his name is on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. James Williams gets ...
Discovery-News.com: Hurricanes played a big part in Robert Simpson's life, which is why his name is on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. James Williams gets the details.
For more science news stories, check out http://www.discovery-news.com
Discovery-News.com: Hurricanes played a big part in Robert Simpson's life, which is why his name is on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. James Williams gets the details.
For more science news stories, check out http://www.discovery-news.com
With any hurricane, you'll see different hurricane categories, such as Categore 2 or Category 3. But what do those mean? Meteorologist Danielle Miller explains ...
With any hurricane, you'll see different hurricane categories, such as Categore 2 or Category 3. But what do those mean? Meteorologist Danielle Miller explains the Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes.
With any hurricane, you'll see different hurricane categories, such as Categore 2 or Category 3. But what do those mean? Meteorologist Danielle Miller explains the Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is used to define tropical cyclone events by their wind speed and impacts. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale consi...
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is used to define tropical cyclone events by their wind speed and impacts. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale consists of a five point scale of hurricane intensity and starts at 74 mph. Tropical cyclones with wind speeds up to 38mph are classified as tropical depressions and those with wind speeds from 39 - 73 mph are classified as tropical storms.
You may also enjoy:
– Podcasts exploring weather and climate https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_brL5mcfsqI4cu42ueHttv0
– Daily weather forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_Zew9xGAqYVtGjYHau-E2yL
– Deep dive in-depth forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_ZGnhyYdlEpdYrjZ-Pmj2rt
Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a single lesson about the weather or climate https://www.youtube.com/c/MetOfficeLearnAboutWeather/?sub_confirmation=1
We are the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, and every day of the week we bring you a morning weather forecast and an afternoon weather forecast so that wherever you are in the UK we have you covered. Forecasts and any weather warnings are accurate at time of recording.
To ensure you have the most up to date weather information, check the hourly forecast and live warnings on the Met Office website or app.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is used to define tropical cyclone events by their wind speed and impacts. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale consists of a five point scale of hurricane intensity and starts at 74 mph. Tropical cyclones with wind speeds up to 38mph are classified as tropical depressions and those with wind speeds from 39 - 73 mph are classified as tropical storms.
You may also enjoy:
– Podcasts exploring weather and climate https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_brL5mcfsqI4cu42ueHttv0
– Daily weather forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_Zew9xGAqYVtGjYHau-E2yL
– Deep dive in-depth forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_ZGnhyYdlEpdYrjZ-Pmj2rt
Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a single lesson about the weather or climate https://www.youtube.com/c/MetOfficeLearnAboutWeather/?sub_confirmation=1
We are the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, and every day of the week we bring you a morning weather forecast and an afternoon weather forecast so that wherever you are in the UK we have you covered. Forecasts and any weather warnings are accurate at time of recording.
To ensure you have the most up to date weather information, check the hourly forecast and live warnings on the Met Office website or app.
Animation showing an example of hurricane wind damage as measured using the Saffir-Simpson Scale.
To learn more about hurricane winds and tropical cyclones, see the MetEd lesson, Introduction to Tropical Meteorology, 2nd Edition Chapter 8: Tropical Cyclones (https://www.meted.ucar.edu/training_module.php?id=868)
Discovery-News.com: Hurricanes played a big part in Robert Simpson's life, which is why his name is on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. James Williams gets the details.
For more science news stories, check out http://www.discovery-news.com
With any hurricane, you'll see different hurricane categories, such as Categore 2 or Category 3. But what do those mean? Meteorologist Danielle Miller explains the Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes.
The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is used to define tropical cyclone events by their wind speed and impacts. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale consists of a five point scale of hurricane intensity and starts at 74 mph. Tropical cyclones with wind speeds up to 38mph are classified as tropical depressions and those with wind speeds from 39 - 73 mph are classified as tropical storms.
You may also enjoy:
– Podcasts exploring weather and climate https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_brL5mcfsqI4cu42ueHttv0
– Daily weather forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_Zew9xGAqYVtGjYHau-E2yL
– Deep dive in-depth forecasts https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGVVqeJodR_ZGnhyYdlEpdYrjZ-Pmj2rt
Make sure you subscribe so you never miss a single lesson about the weather or climate https://www.youtube.com/c/MetOfficeLearnAboutWeather/?sub_confirmation=1
We are the Met Office, the UK’s national weather service, and every day of the week we bring you a morning weather forecast and an afternoon weather forecast so that wherever you are in the UK we have you covered. Forecasts and any weather warnings are accurate at time of recording.
To ensure you have the most up to date weather information, check the hourly forecast and live warnings on the Met Office website or app.
The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS), formerly the Saffir–Simpson hurricane scale (SSHS), classifies hurricanes–Western Hemispheretropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions, and tropical storms–into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds. To be classified as a hurricane, a tropical cyclone must have maximum sustained winds of at least 74mph (33m/s; 64kn; 119km/h) (Category 1). The highest classification in the scale, Category5, is reserved for storms with winds exceeding 156mph (70m/s; 136kn; 251km/h).
The classifications can provide some indication of the potential damage and flooding a hurricane will cause upon landfall.