The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30.
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season → begin → Nov.
Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which includes five categories based on the storm's sustained wind speeds.
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which → rat → speeds
It also estimates possible damage to property, ranging from "some damage" to "catastrophic."
So far, the
has been due to the effects of , a pattern driven by warmer waters in the Pacific.
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It → estimate → Pacific
But the Pacific has seen more strong storms, including , which brought flooding to Hawaii, and , which reached Category 5 strength off the west coast of Mexico.
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which → see → Mexico
If a storm is a Category 3, 4 or 5, it is deemed a "major" hurricane due to the potential for "significant loss of life and damage," the National Hurricane Center says.
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Center → deem → life
Hurricanes that fall into categories 1 or 2 are still considered dangerous, the center says.
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center → fall → categories
What are the categories of hurricanes and what do they mean?
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they → mean → what
Here is how the scale breaks down, according to the National Hurricane Center, starting with a look at the most powerful:
Category 5
Sustained wind speed of 157 mph or higher
-
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breaks → break → mph
Catastrophic damage will occur: A high percentage of framed homes will be destroyed, with total roof failure and wall collapse.
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percentage → occur → failure
Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas.
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trees → isolate → areas
Power outages will last for weeks to possibly months.
uncertain
outages → last → weeks
Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months," the National Hurricane Center says.
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Center → say → weeks
- Notable storms: Category 5 storms include , the most destructive storm to ever hit Florida; Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, and the Virgin Islands as a Category 5 before it surpassed Andrew as the costliest hurricane to ever when it made landfall there as a Category 4; and 1969's Camille, which brought a peak storm surge of 24 feet and killed more than 250 people after it made landfall in Mississippi.
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it → include → Mississippi
Category 4
Sustained wind speed of 130-156 mph
- "Catastrophic damage will occur:
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damage → sustain → mph
Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls.
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homes → build → structure
Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed.
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poles → snap → ?
Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas.
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trees → isolate → areas
Power outages will last weeks to possibly months.
uncertain
outages → last → ?
- Notable storms: Hurricane Ida came ashore in Louisiana as a Category 4, where it caused severe flooding, knocked out power to more than a million people and spawned tornadoes as it moved northeast.
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it → come → tornadoes
Category 3
Sustained wind speed of 111-129 mph
- "Devastating damage will occur: Well-built framed homes may incur major damage or removal of roof decking and gable ends.
uncertain
homes → sustain → decking
Many trees will be snapped or uprooted, blocking numerous roads.
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trees → snap → roads
Electricity and water will be unavailable for several days to weeks after the storm passes."
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storm → pass → weeks
The busy 2020 hurricane season saw late-season Hurricane Zeta strengthen to a Category 3 storm just before as a Category 2 storm; , which had achieved a peak of Category 5, was a Category 3 when the storm hit Florida.
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storm → see → Florida
Category 2
Sustained wind speed of 96-110 mph
- "Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage: Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage.
uncertain
homes → sustain → damage
Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads.
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trees → root → roads
Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last from several days to weeks."
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that → expect → weeks
- Notable storms: Hurricane Floyd made landfall North Carolina in 1999 as a Category 2 storm, causing widespread flooding as it
Category 1
Sustained wind speed of 74-95 mph
- "Very dangerous winds will produce some damage: Well-constructed frame homes could have damage to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters.
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homes → make → roof
Large branches of trees will snap and shallowly rooted trees may be toppled.
uncertain
trees → snap → trees
Extensive damage to power lines and poles likely will result in power outages that could last a few to several days."
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that → result → outages
In the midst of an
string of hurricanes in 2017, there was some speculation about whether storms could hit a Category 6.
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storms → be → Category
But the idea of revising or adding to the scale has been who believe the current categories may not be adequate for increasingly in the future.
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categories → revise → future
, in 2005, reached Category 5 over the Gulf of Mexico but made landfall as a Category 3 storm, ultimately flooding more than 80% of New Orleans and killing more than 1,200 people — making it one of the to strike the U.S.
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it → reach → U.S.
It is one of the , doing more than $75 billion in damage.
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It → do → damage
Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida all saw destruction from Katrina.
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Louisiana → see → Katrina
Hurricane Ian was a strong Category 4 as it
on Florida's west coast in 2022.
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Ian → on → 2022
The knocked out power to millions.
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The → knock → millions
Experts said the , thanks to warm sea temperatures — and warming seas are linked to climate change, which will likely not only make strong hurricanes occur more frequently, make storms move more slowly and allow them to hold more water, .
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them → say → water
The Aporia
