The Saffir-Simpson scale ranks hurricanes on their wind speeds, on a scale from 1 to 5. But critics say the scale doesn't represent the true danger.

When you hear terms like Category 1, Category 3 or even the rare Category 5 mentioned regarding hurricanes, what is being discussed is the classification system for hurricanes based on their winds.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Hurricane Melissa has often been described as a “monster hurricane.” In terms of intensity, that characterization is certainly accurate. However, when discussing a storm’s magnitude, ...

For the last few years, I have opined about the inadequacy of the Saffir — Simpson scale for conveying the full impacts of hurricanes. Harvey (2017), Milton (2024) and Helene (2024) are examples of ...

Hurricane Gabrielle rapidly intensified from a Category 1 to a Category 4 storm on Monday. Rapid intensification is when a storm's winds increase by at least 34.5 mph in 24 hours. Experts say this ...

As of early Tuesday morning, Hurricane Melissa is a strong Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 175 mph and potential gusts beyond 200 mph. The hurricane is now on final approach to Jamaica and ...

Three Category 5 hurricanes have developed in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, something that hasn't happened in 20 years. Melissa joined Humberto and Erin in 2025: Hurricane Melissa became the ...

Hurricane Kiko regained intensity to a Category 4 system on a path toward Hawaii over the next several days as post-tropical cyclone Lorena soaked Mexico's Baja California peninsula with heavy rain, ...