Here's what the hurricane categories mean

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The Atlantic hurricane season begins connected June 1 and runs done Nov. 30. Hurricanes are rated connected the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which includes 5 categories based connected the storm's sustained upwind speeds. It besides estimates imaginable harm to property, ranging from "some damage" to "catastrophic."

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an "above average" season for 2024, with with 17 to 25 named storms, 8 to 13 hurricanes, and 4 to 7 large hurricanes of Category 3 oregon higher.

The archetypal hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, Hurricane Erin, rapidly intensified to a fierce Category 5 connected Aug. 16 earlier weakening slightly. It was not forecast to marque immoderate nonstop landfall.

What is simply a "major hurricane?"

If a tempest is simply a Category 3, 4 oregon 5, it is deemed a "major" hurricane owed to the imaginable for "significant nonaccomplishment of beingness and damage," the National Hurricane Center says. Hurricanes that autumn into categories 1 oregon 2 are inactive considered dangerous, the halfway says.

What are the categories of hurricanes and what bash they mean?

Here is however the standard breaks down, according to the National Hurricane Center, starting with a look astatine the astir powerful:

Category 5

Sustained upwind velocity of 157 mph oregon higher

"Catastrophic harm volition occur: A precocious percent of framed homes volition beryllium destroyed, with full extortion nonaccomplishment and partition collapse. Fallen trees and powerfulness poles volition isolate residential areas. Power outages volition past for weeks to perchance months. Most of the country volition beryllium uninhabitable for weeks oregon months," the National Hurricane Center says.
Notable storms: Category 5 storms include 1992's Hurricane Andrew, the astir destructive tempest to ever deed Florida; 2017's Irma, which devastated Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, and the Virgin Islands arsenic a Category 5 earlier it surpassed Andrew arsenic the costliest hurricane to ever hit Florida erstwhile it made landfall determination arsenic a Category 4; and 1969's Camille, which brought a highest tempest surge of 24 feet and killed much than 250 radical aft it made landfall successful Mississippi.

Category 4

Sustained upwind velocity of 130-156 mph

"Catastrophic harm volition occur: Well-built framed homes tin prolong terrible harm with nonaccomplishment of astir of the extortion operation and/or immoderate exterior walls. Most trees volition beryllium snapped oregon uprooted and powerfulness poles downed. Fallen trees and powerfulness poles volition isolate residential areas. Power outages volition past weeks to perchance months. Most of the country volition beryllium uninhabitable for weeks oregon months."
Notable storms: Hurricane Harvey made landfall arsenic a Category 4 tempest successful Texas and Louisiana successful 2017, leaving catastrophic flooding successful its wake; 2021's Hurricane Ida came ashore successful Louisiana arsenic a Category 4, wherever it caused terrible flooding, knocked retired powerfulness to much than a cardinal radical and spawned tornadoes arsenic it moved northeast.

Category 3

Sustained upwind velocity of 111-129 mph

"Devastating harm volition occur: Well-built framed homes whitethorn incur large harm oregon removal of extortion decking and gable ends. Many trees volition beryllium snapped oregon uprooted, blocking galore roads. Electricity and h2o volition beryllium unavailable for respective days to weeks aft the tempest passes."
Notable storms: The engaged 2020 hurricane play saw late-season Hurricane Zeta fortify to a Category 3 tempest conscionable earlier making landfall successful Louisiana arsenic a Category 2 storm; 2005's Hurricane Wilma, which had achieved a highest of Category 5, was a Category 3 erstwhile the tempest deed Florida.

Category 2

Sustained upwind velocity of 96-110 mph

"Extremely unsafe winds volition origin extended damage: Well-constructed framework homes could prolong large extortion and siding damage. Many shallowly rooted trees volition beryllium snapped oregon uprooted and artifact galore roads. Near-total powerfulness nonaccomplishment is expected with outages that could past from respective days to weeks."
Notable storms: Hurricane Floyd made landfall North Carolina successful 1999 arsenic a Category 2 storm, causing wide flooding arsenic it traveled up the coast and starring to the cancellation of schools successful New Jersey and New York City; erstwhile Hurricane Ike made landfall arsenic a Category 2 tempest successful Texas successful 2008, it had weakened from its highest spot arsenic a Category 4 storm.

Category 1

Sustained upwind velocity of 74-95 mph

"Very unsafe winds volition nutrient immoderate damage: Well-constructed framework homes could person harm to roof, shingles, vinyl siding and gutters. Large branches of trees volition drawback and shallowly rooted trees whitethorn beryllium toppled. Extensive harm to powerfulness lines and poles apt volition effect successful powerfulness outages that could past a fewer to respective days."
Notable storms: Hurricane Sandy was lone a Category 1 tempest erstwhile the superstorm came ashore successful New Jersey successful 2012, its tempest surge flooding New York City; 2011's Hurricane Irene was a Category 1 tempest erstwhile it deed North Carolina, but had weakened to a tropical tempest by the clip it returned to onshore successful New Jersey, causing wide flooding there, successful New York and arsenic northbound arsenic Vermont.

Should determination beryllium a Category 6?

In the midst of an unusually ferocious drawstring of hurricanes successful 2017, determination was immoderate speculation astir whether storms could deed a Category 6. There is officially no specified happening arsenic a Category 6 hurricane. But the thought of revising oregon adding to the standard has been discussed by immoderate clime scientists who judge the existent categories whitethorn not beryllium capable for progressively extreme storms in the future.

What class was Hurricane Katrina?

Hurricane Katrina, successful 2005, reached Category 5 implicit the Gulf of Mexico but made landfall arsenic a Category 3 storm, yet flooding much than 80% of New Orleans and sidesplitting much than 1,200 radical — making it 1 of the deadliest hurricanes to onslaught the U.S. It is 1 of the costliest hurricanes successful U.S. history, doing much than $75 cardinal successful damage. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida each saw demolition from Katrina.

What class was Hurricane Ian?

Hurricane Ian was a beardown Category 4 arsenic it made landfall connected Florida's westbound seashore successful 2022. The deadly storm knocked retired powerfulness to millions. Experts said the storm's accelerated intensification, acknowledgment to lukewarm oversea temperatures — and warming seas are linked to clime change, which volition apt not lone marque beardown hurricanes hap much frequently, marque storms determination much dilatory and let them to clasp much water, leading to much rain.