Hurricane Info

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a 1-5 rating based on the hurricane's present intensity. This is used to give an estimate of the potential property damage and flooding expected along the coast from a hurricane landfall. Wind speed is the determining factor in the scale, as storm surge values are highly dependent on the slope of the continental shelf in the landfall region. Note that all winds are using the U.S. 1-minute average.

Category One Hurricane:

Winds 74-95 mph (64-82 kt or 119-153 kph). Storm surge generally 4-5 ft above normal. No real damage to building structures. Damage primarily to unanchored mobile homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some damage to poorly constructed signs. Also, some coastal road flooding and minor pier damage. Hurricanes Allison of 1995 and Danny of 1997 were Category One hurricanes at peak intensity.

Category Two Hurricane:
Winds 96-110 mph (83-95 kt or 154-177 kph). Storm surge generally 6-8 feet above normal. Some roofing material, door, and window damage of buildings. Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees blown down. Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2-4 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Small craft in unprotected anchorages break moorings. Hurricane Bonnie of 1998 was a Category Two hurricane when it hit the North Carolina coast, while Hurricane Georges of 1998 was a Category Two Hurricane when it hit the Florida Keys and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Category Three Hurricane:
Winds 111-130 mph (96-113 kt or 178-209 kph). Storm surge generally 9-12 ft above normal. Some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings with a minor amount of curtainwall failures. Damage to shrubbery and trees with foliage blown off trees and large tress blown down. Mobile homes and poorly constructed signs are destroyed. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Flooding near the coast destroys smaller structures with larger structures damaged by battering of floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 ft above mean sea level may be flooded inland 8 miles (13 km) or more. Evacuation of low-lying residences with several blocks of the shoreline may be required. Hurricanes Roxanne of 1995 and Fran of 1996 were Category Three hurricanes at landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and in North Carolina, respectively.

Category Four Hurricane:
Winds 131-155 mph (114-135 kt or 210-249 kph). Storm surge generally 13-18 ft above normal. More extensive curtainwall failures with some complete roof structure failures on small residences. Shrubs, trees, and all signs are blown down. Complete destruction of mobile homes. Extensive damage to doors and windows. Low-lying escape routes may be cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain lower than 10 ft above sea level may be flooded requiring massive evacuation of residential areas as far inland as 6 miles (10 km). Hurricane Luis of 1995 was a Category Four hurricane while moving over the Leeward Islands. Hurricanes Felix and Opal of 1995 also reached Catgeory Four status at peak intensity.

Category Five Hurricane:
Winds greater than 155 mph (135 kt or 249 kph). Storm surge generally greater than 18 ft above normal. Complete roof failure on many residences and industrial buildings. Some complete building failures with small utility buildings blown over or away. All shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Complete destructon of mobile homes. Severe and extensive window and door damage. Low-lying escape routes are cut by rising water 3-5 hours before arrival of the hurricane center. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less than 15 ft above sea level and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within 5-10 miles (8-16 km) of the shoreline may be required. Hurricane Mitch of 1998 was a Category Five hurricane at peak intensity over the western Caribbean. Hurricane Gilbert of 1988 was a Category Five hurricane at peak intensity and is the strongest Atlantic tropical cyclone of record.
Back to Top

World-Wide Tropical Cyclone Names

  Atlantic Names:


2002        2003        2004       2005
	  	      		  	      		 
Arthur      Ana         Alex       Arlene
Bertha      Bill        Bonnie     Bret
Cristobal   Claudette   Charley    Cindy
Dolly       Danny       Danielle   Dennis
Edouard     Erika       Earl       Emily
Fay         Fabian      Frances    Franklin
Gustav      Grace       Gaston     Gert
Hanna       Henri       Hermine    Harvey
Isidore     Isabel      Ivan       Irene
Josephine   Juan        Jeanne     Jose
Kyle        Kate        Karl       Katrina
Lili        Larry       Lisa       Lee
Marco       Mindy       Matthew    Maria
Nana        Nicholas    Nicole     Nate
Omar        Odette      Otto       Ophelia
Paloma      Peter       Paula      Philippe
Rene        Rose        Richard    Rita
Sally       Sam         Shary      Stan
Teddy       Teresa      Tomas      Tammy
Vicky       Victor      Virginie   Vince
Wilfred     Wanda       Walter     Wilma

Experience shows that the use of short, distinctive given names in written as well as spoken communications is quicker and less subject to error than the older more cumbersome latitude-longitude identification methods. These advantages are especially important in exchanging detailed storm information between hundreds of widely scattered stations, coastal bases, and ships at sea.

Since 1953, Atlantic tropical storms have been named from lists originated by the National Hurricane Center and now maintained and updated by an international committee of the World Meteorological Organization. The lists featured only women's names until 1979, when men's and women's names were alternated. Six lists are used in rotation. Thus, the 1999 list will be used again in 2005. Here is more information on the history of naming hurricanes.

The only time that there is a change in the list is if a storm is so deadly or costly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity. If that occurs, then at an annual meeting by the WMO committee (called primarily to discuss many other issues) the offending name is stricken from the list and another name is selected to replace it.

Several names have been changed since the lists were last used. Four names from the 1995 list have been retired. On the 2001 list, Lorenzo has replaced Luis, Michelle has replaced Marilyn, Olga has replaced Opal, and Rebekah has replaced Roxanne. Three names from the 1996 list have been retired. On the 2002 list, Cristobal has replaced Cesar, Fay has replaced Fran, and Hanna has replaced Hortense. Two names from the 1998 list have been retired. On the 2004 list, Gaston has replaced Georges and Matthew has replaced Mitch. Here is more information on the retirement of hurricane names.

Back to Top

The Deadliest Hurricanes In The United States 1900-1996

The top 30 cyclones for the U.S. mainland are listed.
RANKING HURRICANE YEAR CATEGORY DEATHS
1. TX (Galveston) 1900 4 8000+
2. FL (Lake Okeechobee) 1928 4 1836
3. FL (Keys)/S. TX 1919 4 600#
4. NEW ENGLAND 1938 3* 600
5. FL (Keys) 1935 5 408
6. AUDREY (SW LA/N TX) 1957 4 390
7. NE U.S. 1944 3* 390@
8. LA (Grand Isle) 1909 4 350
9. LA (New Orleans) 1915 4 275
10. TX (Galveston) 1915 4 275
11. CAMILLE (MS/LA) 1969 5 256
12. FL (Miami)/MS/AL/Pensacola 1926 4 243
13. DIANE (NE U.S.) 1955 1 184
14. SE FL 1906 2 164
15. MS/AL/Pensacola 1906 3 134
16. AGNES (NE U.S.) 1972 1 122
17. HAZEL (SC/NC) 1954 4* 95
18. BETSY (SE FL/SE LA) 1965 3 75
19. CAROL (NE U.S.) 1954 3* 60
20. SE FL/LA/MS 1947 4 51
21. DONNA (FL/Eastern U.S.) 1960 4 50
22. GA/SC/NC 1940 2 50
23. CARLA (TX) 1961 4 46
24. TX (Velasco) 1909 3 41
25. TX (Freeport) 1932 4 40
26. S TX 1933 3 40
27. HILDA (LA) 1964 3 38
28. SW LA 1918 3 34
29. SW FL 1910 3 30
30. ALBERTO (NW FL/GA/AL) 1994 TS& 30
ADDENDUM (Pre-1900 or not Atlantic/Gulf Coast):
2. LA 1893 Unk 2000
2-3. SC/GA 1893 Unk 1000-2000
3. GA/SC 1881 Unk 700
9. San Felipe (Puerto Rico) 1928 4 312
13. U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico 1932 2 225
17. DONNA (St. Thomas, VI) 1960 4 107
24. Southern California 1939 TS& 45
24. ELOISE (Puerto Rico) 1975 TS& 44

+ - May actually been as high as 10,000 to 12,000.
# - Over 500 of these lost on ships at sea; 600-900 estimated deaths.
* - Moving more than 30 miles an hour.
@ - Some 344 of these lost on ships at sea.
& - Only of Tropical Storm intensity.
Unk - Intensity not sufficiently known to establish category.

Back to Top