Have you ever wondered who or what determines how a hurricane is classified?  When you hear the term Saffir-Simpson Scale bandied around, do you ever question just who Saffir and Simpson are? Here are some interesting facts about the scale, and how their weighing in on hurricanes has affected the way we see these storms today.

The scale is actually the brainchild of Herbert Saffir and Robert Simpson. Mr. Saffir is an American engineer and graduate from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Mr. Saffir became involved in the study of storms as well as their categorization in the year 1969 when a commission by the United Nations actually requested information on the impact of storms on the housing situation of low-income families. Mr. Simpson was at point the director of the National Hurricane Center, and collaborated with Mr. Saffir on the scale. It was Mr. Saffir who realized that the ability to describe the aftermath of a hurricane, as well as the possible ramifications of such a storm before it even occurred was severely limited because there were no standards in place.

The Saffir-Simpson Scale sought to rectify this situation.  It reads as follows:

If a storm is being observed that could be accurately classified as a precursor to a hurricane, it would need to evidence winds that move at a speed of 39 to 73 miles per hour.  If this is a case, then the storm would be classified as a tropical storm.

If a tropical storm progresses to a category one hurricane, it evidences winds that show a speed of 74 to 95 miles per hour.  The damage that is most likely to accompany this kind of storm is relatively mild to standard buildings, while mobile homes may experience heavier damage.  Some flooding will occur, but it will most likely be only in the coastal areas.

Once a storm reaches wind speeds of 96 to 110 miles per hour, the odds are fairly good that there will be structural damage to homes – yet only to unprotected doors and windows, as well as incorrectly anchored roofs. Mobile homes and manufactured homes may incur such heavy damage as to leave them uninhabitable, and flooding is almost a certainty. 

A category three hurricane will have wind speeds of 111 to 130 miles per hour. Those who live in mobile or manufactured homes will most likely return to find their homes destroyed. Other dwellings will also incur some structural damage. You will most likely see large trees blown over and perhaps even moved across short distances.  Inland flooding is a certainty, and will add to the damage that the storm will cause to human dwellings.

Wind speeds of 131 to 155 miles per hour indicate a category four hurricane. This kind of hurricane will most likely partially destroy even structurally sound buildings.  The flooding that will occur inland will be severe, and coastal areas will most likely be wiped out. Heavy damage to trees and manmade structures will add fuel to the howling winds, as they transport broken off bits and pieces of structures and landscape items like missiles through the air.

The last designation on the scale is the category five hurricanes. Its wind speeds begin at 156 miles per hour and the scale is open ended. The damage that can be expected from this kind of disaster is so extensive that governmental intervention will be instrumental in returning the area into a habitable state. Inland flooding and coastal wipe outs will be so severe, that only those who have evacuated stand a good chance of survival, while those who do not heed the evacuation orders will most likely pay with their lives.

 

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