Hurricane categories and what they mean

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - With it being the peak of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, it is good to know how hurricanes are classified.

For many, the hurricane category is the only thing they associate with how bad the storm will be. What most do not know is that the hurricane classification is only based on wind speed. There are dangerous impacts beyond wind with any hurricane.

Hurricanes are assigned a category based on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale. This gives hurricanes the designation of a category, 1 through 5. Although wind is very damaging, and it drives storm surges, wind alone does not determine the extent of impacts.

Other threats, not included in the category designation, include storm surge, freshwater flooding, and tornadoes for example. Many tropical storms and low-end hurricanes have caused devastating damage in the form of freshwater flooding.

Hurricane Debby, which made landfall earlier this summer in Florida and then again in South Carolina, is a good example of the flooding threat. Up to 20″ of rain fell along parts of the South Carolina coast, with over a foot of rain also recorded in the southern portion of North Carolina.

The wind alone will not tell you how bad or extensive the damage will be. The impacts from a hurricane also extend far beyond the center. Rain and wind impacts, along with storm surges, can happen hundreds of miles away from the center of the storm.

Storm surge is the deadliest part of a landfalling tropical system. The stronger the wind, the higher the storm surge, and the farther inland the surge will push. Freshwater river flooding can also prove to be deadly.

Tornadoes are often a threat that is not taken into account. The right front quadrant of a landfalling hurricane often produces tornadoes. For more on the threat of tornadoes with tropical systems, click here.

Copyright 2024 WSMV. All rights reserved.