Step 1
Check the Current Wind
Use the latest NHC advisory for maximum sustained wind, category, pressure, movement, and update time.
Saffir-Simpson scale
Hurricane Categories 1-5: Wind & Damage
Hurricane categories rank maximum sustained wind from Category 1 through Category 5. The Saffir-Simpson scale helps communicate wind damage potential, but it does not measure storm surge, rainfall flooding, tornadoes, storm size, or duration.
Hurricane Category Wind Thresholds
hurricane categories, Category 1 through 5 wind speed, hurricane category scale
Start Here, Then Move Toward a Local Decision
Step 2
Add the Missing Hazards
Read surge, rainfall, flood, tornado, and local wind products because the category measures wind only.
Step 3
Plan for Your Location
Housing, trees, utilities, flood zones, bridges, and evacuation constraints determine how the same storm affects different places.
Category thresholds
Hurricane Category Wind Speeds
The scale uses one-minute maximum sustained wind. Major hurricanes are Category 3, 4, or 5, but all hurricanes can produce dangerous conditions.
- Category 1: 74-95 mph
- Category 2: 96-110 mph
- Category 3: 111-129 mph
- Category 4: 130-156 mph
- Category 5: 157 mph or higher
Scale limits
Category Does Not Equal Total Risk
A lower-category storm can be catastrophic when it is large, slow, rain-heavy, or pushing water into a vulnerable coastline.
- No storm surge measurement
- No rainfall or inland flood measurement
- No tornado or wave measurement
- No storm size or duration measurement
Related hurricane resources
Open the Next Best Page
Tropical Storm vs Hurricane
Compare the broader cyclone classifications and thresholds.
Live Hurricane Tracker
Check the latest official strength for active systems.
Storm Surge Map
Review the water hazard that category does not measure.
Local Hurricane Risk
Connect storm hazards to a city, state, ZIP, or household plan.
Official-source check
Verify Before You Act
HurricaneHub is a planning and interpretation layer. During an active threat, confirm storm advisories, watches, warnings, evacuation orders, shelters, and road restrictions with official sources.
Local planning
Bring the Search Back to Your Location
After reading this hub, the most useful next page is usually a city tracker, state tracker, alert page, or household tool that matches the place you care about.
Hurricane FAQ
What are the five hurricane categories?
Category 1 is 74-95 mph, Category 2 is 96-110 mph, Category 3 is 111-129 mph, Category 4 is 130-156 mph, and Category 5 is 157 mph or higher.
What is a major hurricane?
A major hurricane is Category 3, 4, or 5, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.
Does hurricane category predict storm surge?
No. The category measures maximum sustained wind only. Surge depends on storm size, track, coastline shape, depth, speed, and tides.
Can a Category 1 hurricane be dangerous?
Yes. Category 1 hurricanes can cause damaging wind, surge, rainfall flooding, tornadoes, waves, outages, and dangerous travel conditions.
What is HurricaneHub's direct answer for people in the risk zone?
Check your official local warning first, compare it with the current NHC storm position, then decide whether your home, route, or medical needs require earlier action than the county deadline.
How often should hurricane data refresh?
NHC advisories usually update on a cycle set by the storm situation, while NWS alerts can change at any time. HurricaneHub caches public feeds for short windows to reduce latency without hiding official updates.
Is this a replacement for emergency management orders?
No. HurricaneHub summarizes official data for decision support, but evacuation orders, shelter rules, road closures, and rescue instructions come from local emergency management and the National Weather Service.