New classification of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale

The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) has released a modification in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, which measures the intensity of winds of tropical cyclones when they reach the hurricane category. This scale ranges from 1 (lower intensity of winds) to 5 (higher intensity of winds and therefore of potential degree of damage).

 
This modification is carried out in order to make a conversion of the measurement units used to estimate the wind speed more easily. Since kilometers per hour (Km / h), knots (kt) and miles per hour (mph) are often used, the previous scale was misleading when rounding the values ​​of wind speed at the boundaries between the various categories.

As indicated by the National Hurricane Center The new scale will be effective as of May 15, 2012, for the Pacific Ocean, North-Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California, while it will be used as of June 1, 2012 in the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and The Caribbean Sea.

With the new classification, categories 1 and 2 are unchanged. Category 3 will now be achieved with sustained winds of 96 to 112 kt (or 111 to 129 mph or 178 to 208 km / h). Category 4 will be recorded if the intensities are between 113 to 136 kt (130 to 156 mph or 209 to 251 km / h). And finally, category 5 will be measured with winds between 137 kt or more (157 mph or more or 252 km / h or more).

 
The National Hurricane Center has indicated in the aforementioned statement that the previous hurricanes in history will not suffer no modification in terms of the intensity of the winds with which they made landfall, that is, this new status will be valid for the following new hurricane seasons.

Source: Storm chasers