Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

From Free net encyclopedia

Category 4 redirects here. For other meanings of Category 4, see Category 4 (disambiguation).

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the levels of "tropical depression" and "tropical storm" and thereby become hurricanes. The "categories" it divides hurricanes into are distinguished by the intensities of their respective sustained winds. The classifications are intended primarily for use in gauging the likely damage and flooding a hurricane will cause upon landfall. 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 label their tropical cyclones as "cyclones" and "typhoons", and use their own classification schemes.

1 History
2 Categories
3 See also
4 External links

[edit]

History

The scale was developed in 1969 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and Bob Simpson, at that time the director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The initial scale was developed by Saffir while on commission from the United Nations to study low-cost housing in hurricane-prone areas. While performing the study, Saffir realized there was no simple scale for describing the likely effects of a hurricane. Knowing 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 in the effects of storm surge and flooding. The scale does not take into account rainfall or location, which means a Category 2 hurricane that hits a major city will likely do far more damage than a Category 5 hurricane that hits a rural area.

[edit]