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whadu · Level 49: GameShark **Posts:** 37006 **Timestamp:** Wed Jul 23, 08 11:34 AM

Category 1

* Winds of 74-95 mph
* Damage primarily to shrubbery, tree foliage and unanchored mobile homes
* No real damage to other structures
* Some damage to poorly constructed signs
* Storm surge four to five feet above normal
* Low lying coastal roads inundated
* Minor pier damage
* Small craft in exposed anchorages torn from moorings

Category 2

* Winds of 96-110 mph. Considerable damage to shrubbery and tree foliage
* Some trees down Major damage to exposed mobile homes
* Extensive damage to poorly constructed signs
* Some damage to roofing
* Storm surge six to eight feet above normal
* Coastal roads and low lying inland escape routes blocked by rising water two to four hours before arrival of hurricane center. Considerable damage to piers.
* Marinas flooded
* Small craft in unprotected anchorages torn from moorings
* Evacuation of some shoreline residences and low lying islands required

Category 3

* Winds of 111-130 mph. Foliage torn from trees, large trees blown over
* Almost all poorly constructed signs down
* Some damage to roofing; some window and door damage
* Some structural damage to small buildings
* Mobile homes destroyed
* Storm surge nine to 12 feet above normal
* Serious flooding at coast and many smaller structures near coast and many smaller structures near coast destroyed
* Larger structures near coast damaged by battering waves and floating debris
* Low lying inland escape routes blocked by rising water three to five hours before hurricane center arrives
* Flat terrain five feet or less above sea level flooded inland eight miles or more
* Evacuation of low-lying residences within several blocks of shoreline possibly required.

Category 4

* Winds of 131-155 mph
* Shrubs and trees down, all signs down
* Extensive damage to roofing, windows and doors
* Roof collapse
* Complete destruction of mobile homes
* Storm surge 13 to 18 feet above normal
* Flat terrain 10 feet or less above sea level flooded inland as far as six miles
* Major damage to lower floors of structure near shore due to flooding, waves and floating debris
* Low lying water three to five hours before hurricane center arrives
* Major erosion of beaches
* Massive evacuation of all residences within 500 yards of shore possibly required, and of single-story residences on low ground within two miles of shore

Category 5

* Winds greater than 155 mph. Shrubs and trees down; considerable damage to roofing; all signs down.
* Severe and extensive damage to windows and doors
* Complete roof collapse
* Destruction of glass in windows and doors. Some complete building failures
* Small buildings overturned or blown away
* Complete destruction of mobile homes
* Storm surge higher than 18 feet above normal
* Major damage to lower floors of all structures less than 15 feet above sea level within 500 yards of shore
* Low lying escape routes inland cut off by rising water three to five hours before hurricane center arrives
* Massive evacuation of residential areas on low ground within five to 10 miles of shore possibly required

Provided By: Army.mil

Category 6

After the string of incredibly powerful storms of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, a few newspaper columnists and scientists brought up the suggestion of introducing Category 6, and they have suggested pegging Category 6 to storms with winds greater than 175 or 180 mph (78–80 m/s; 150–155 knots; 280–290 km/h).

According to Robert Simpson, there is no reason for a Category 6 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale because it is designed to measure the potential damage of a hurricane to man-made structures. If the wind speed of the hurricane is above 250 km/h (156 mph), then the damage to a building will be "serious no matter how well it's engineered". However, the result of new technologies in construction leads some to suggest that an increase in the number of categories is necessary.

Hurricanes,

Weather,

Earth

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