Satellite Meteorology

For Grade 7-12

8

Wild Weather

Hurricanes - IV

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHS)

In the Atlantic basin, hurricanes are classified by their wind speed at the surface using the Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale. The stronger the wind, the higher the category, and the more damage the hurricane can cause. The following table describes the 5 categories of hurricanes and the damages as a result of the strong wind

Category	Wind Speed	Damages
1	74-95 mph [64-82 kts] [119-153 km/hr]	No real damage to buildings but some minor damage possible to shrubbery, trees, unanchored mobile homes and poorly constructed signs. - Very dangerous winds will produce some damage
2	96-110 mph [83-95 kts] [154-177 km/hr]	Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. - Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage
3	111-129 mph [96-112 kts] [178-208 km/hr]	Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage blown off trees and large tress blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. - Devastating damage will occur
4	130-156 mph [113-136 kts] [209-251 km/hr]	More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. - Catastrophic damage will occur
5	>156 mph [>136 kts] [>250 km/hr]	Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. - Catastrophic damage will occur
Note: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Central Pacific Hurricane (CPHC) assign intensities of hurricanes in 5-knot (kt) increments. For advisory products, these intensities are converted to miles per hour (mph) and kilometers per hour (km/h), and then rounded to the nearest 5-mph or 5-km/h increments. Effective May 15, 2012

This Satellite Meteorology Course was developed at the Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies (CIMSS) located within the Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) at the UW-Madison. Funding was provided by the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium (WSGC) and NOAA/NESDIS.