The Web pages listed below have been rated as excellent authoritative resources for studying the measurement of hurricane strength and potential for damage. So a system that would rank hurricanes only by wind force would not tell the whole tale. Once a storm reaches hurricane strength, it is rated on the Saffir-Simpson scale from 1 to 5 based on a series of parameters. Hurricane Classification Hurricanes are classified into five categories, based on their wind speeds and potential for damage.
Some hurricanes are much stronger than others.
Scientists have come up with a way to categorize hurricanes to give the public a better idea of what should be expected in the coming storm. Hurricane Categories Hurricanes are evaluated in a number of ways. This page was last updated on August 2000.