Tropical Terms II

We classify tropical systems by Maximum sustained wind speeds. This helps determine possible damage after a storm makes landfall as well as helps define the severity of a tropical system.

Hurricanes are divided into 5 different classifications better known as categories.

Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale
Category	Wind speed	Storm surge
	mph (km/h)	ft (m)
Five	≥ 156 (≥ 250)	> 18 (> 5.5)
Four	131–155 (210–249)	13–18 (4.0–5.5)
Three	111–130 (178–209)	9–12 (2.7–3.7)
Two	96–110 (154–177)	6–8 (1.8–2.4)
One	74–95 (119–153)	4–5 (1.2–1.5)
Additional classifications
Tropical storm	39–73 (63–117)	0–3 (0–0.9)
Tropical depression	0–38 (0–62)	0 (0)

Tropical Terms II - KALB-TV News Channel 5 & CBS 2

Tropical Terms II