When you hear terms like Category 1, Category 3 or even the rare Category 5 mentioned regarding hurricanes, what is being discussed is the classification system for hurricanes based on their winds.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As hurricane season is quickly approaching, let’s remind you about the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. This scale is designed to categorize hurricanes based on wind speed and is ...

Tropical systems begin as tropical depressions, which are areas of low pressure with wind speeds of up to 38 miles per hour. When those winds strengthen and reach between 39 and 73 miles per hour, the ...

From grocery stores to neighborhoods, a hurricane's category might be among the most discussed aspects of a threatening storm. Those categories are based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, ...

Wind alone does not account for all hurricane-related fatalities. Storm surge and rainfall do as well. Yet the current warning system—the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale—measures a storm's ...

Storm surge and rainfall — not wind — cause the majority of hurricane deaths, yet are absent from the current warning system. Researchers developed and tested the Tropical Cyclone Severity Scale, ...