Meteorologists use a variety of different scales to measure the wind speeds of tropical cyclones.
In the United States, for instance, the National Hurricane Center, a division of the National Weather Service's Tropical Prediction Center, uses the Saffir-Simpson scale while in Australia a different set of categories are applied to tropical cyclones in that part of the world.
The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to classify the majority of western hemisphere cyclones that are stronger and more intense than "tropical depressions" or "tropical storms". The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is only ever applied to hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean to the east of the International Date Line.
Like the Richter Scale for earthquakes and tremors, the Saffir-Simpson scale for cyclones employs the potential for damage to homes and property as one of the factors. The other main factor is, of course, wind speed, with the scale ranging from Factor 1 to 5.
A factor 1 cyclone will have a wind speed of between 74-95 mph. By comparison, a factor 5, such as Hurricane Katrina, will see wind speeds in excess of 156 mph.
In the United States, for instance, the National Hurricane Center, a division of the National Weather Service's Tropical Prediction Center, uses the Saffir-Simpson scale while in Australia a different set of categories are applied to tropical cyclones in that part of the world.
The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to classify the majority of western hemisphere cyclones that are stronger and more intense than "tropical depressions" or "tropical storms". The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is only ever applied to hurricanes forming in the Atlantic Ocean and northern Pacific Ocean to the east of the International Date Line.
Like the Richter Scale for earthquakes and tremors, the Saffir-Simpson scale for cyclones employs the potential for damage to homes and property as one of the factors. The other main factor is, of course, wind speed, with the scale ranging from Factor 1 to 5.
A factor 1 cyclone will have a wind speed of between 74-95 mph. By comparison, a factor 5, such as Hurricane Katrina, will see wind speeds in excess of 156 mph.
