Hurricanes are classified via the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale, which organizes based on wind speed. A category 1 storm has maximum sustained wind speeds of 74 to 95 miles per hour, a category 2 storm hits 96 to 110 miles per hour, and so on. A category 5 storm is the most deadly, with speeds of 157 miles per hour or more.
There’s no upper bound for category 5, however, and we may need one. As our climate has warmed, storms have gotten stronger. Scientists are now proposing a category 6, for the powerful storms which are becoming more prevalent.
Previously in horrifying hurricane news: Hurricanado
