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What are the 5 categories of hurricanes called?

What are the 5 categories of hurricanes called?

Category Sustained Winds
2 96-110 mph 83-95 kt 154-177 km/h
3 (major) 111-129 mph 96-112 kt 178-208 km/h
4 (major) 130-156 mph 113-136 kt 209-251 km/h
5 (major) 157 mph or higher 137 kt or higher 252 km/h or higher

What are the 4 types of hurricanes?

Category 1: Winds 74 to 95 mph (Minor damage) Category 2: Winds 96 to 110 mph (Extensive damage — Can uproot trees and break windows) Category 3: Winds 111 to 129 mph (Devastating — Can break windows and doors) Category 4: Winds 130 to 156 mph (Catastrophic damage — Can tear off roofs)

How are hurricanes categorized?

The Saffir-Simpson scale is the scale we use to rate hurricanes and it’s based on the wind speeds. The scale rates hurricanes on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the hurricane’s sustained wind speed. A category 1 hurricane has winds of 74 to 95 mph and will produce some damage.

What is a Category 8 hurricane?

A Category 8 hurricane would likely have a storm surge of at least 30–40 feet and would be caused by little to no wind shear, and perfect water temperature for a tropical cyclone of this magnitude to form, especially in the Atlantic Ocean.

What is a Category 2 hurricane?

Hurricane Wind Classifications: Category 2 Category 2 hurricanes have sustained wind speeds of 96 to 110 miles per hour. Damage could include the following: Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage. Shallowly rooted trees could be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads.

What is a Category 3 hurricane?

Category 3 is the third-highest classification on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, and categorizes tropical cyclones with 1-minute maximum sustained winds between 96 knots (110 mph; 178 km/h; 49 m/s) and 112 knots (129 mph; 207 km/h; 58 m/s).

What is the highest grade hurricane?

Category 5 hurricane
In a Category 5 hurricane, the highest category hurricane, winds are 157 mph or higher.

Is Category 2 hurricane bad?

Category 2 hurricanes have winds of 96 mph to 110 mph. A major problem with Category 2 hurricanes is that winds are strong enough to break power poles — which can, in turn, create blackouts. Category 2 hurricane winds can also cause damage to residential roofs, windows, and doors. Power outages are common.

What is a Category 8 Hurricane?

What is a Category 3?

Category three hurricane: A hurricane with winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 km/hr). Storm surge generally 9-12 ft above normal. Hurricanes are rated on a 1-5 scale based on the hurricane’s intensity.

What does it mean when a hurricane is a Category 3?

That means it would be at least a category 3 hurricane, with wind speeds of over 110 miles per hour. But what do meteorologists and news anchors mean when they talk about hurricane categories, like category 1, category 3 or category 5?

How long does the life cycle of a hurricane last?

Likewise, the life cycle of tropical cyclones (from tropical depression to tropical storm to hurricane to death) can last only a day or two or for as long as a month. Hurricane development and its lifespan depend on factors such as atmospheric conditions and geography.

How are hurricanes classified according to the SSHWS?

Hurricanes are capable of causing massive losses to life and property and hence the need to classify these tropical storms became necessary. Hurricanes are classified according to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS). According to this scale, there are 5 categories of hurricanes: Category 1 to Category 5,…

How are hurricanes classified on the Saffir-Simpson scale?

Hurricanes are capable of causing massive losses to life and property and hence the need to classify these tropical storms became necessary. Hurricanes are classified according to the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS).