A Storm's Power: How Dangerous Is It? The Saffir-Simpson Scale ranks hurricanes from Category 1 to 5, the most powerful. Hurricane Andrew came ashore in Florida August 1992 as a Category 4 hurricane. Only two Category 5 storms have hit the United States since record-keeping began: the 1935 Labor Day hurricane in the Florida Keys and Hurricane Camille along the Mississippi coast in 1969.
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The Five Classes of Hurricanes • Category 1: 74 to 95 mph • Category 2: 96 to 110 mph • Category 3: 111 to 130 mph • Category 4: 131 to 155 mph • Category 5: More than 155 mph |
What Could Happen? If a major storm strikes, damage could be extensive. Wind, rain, storm surge, flooding and tornadoes are all possible.
Anatomy of a Hurricane | ||||||||||
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