Hurricane Category Calculator
Saffir-Simpson category and damage from wind.
What it does
Hurricanes earn numbers from wind alone: the Saffir-Simpson scale sorts sustained winds into five categories with damage words attached. Surge and rain kill outside the numbering.
The tool above takes sustained wind in mph or km/h. It returns the category, damage words, and the band.
The default 130 mph lands Category 4 with catastrophic damage in the 130-156 band. The 100 case lands Category 2, and 180 lands Category 5.
Hurricane center scale pages publish the bands with matching damage language for public use. Emergency guidance repeats the scale while stressing surge and flooding beyond wind.
Categories rate wind, not total danger: weak storms drown while strong ones miss. Board by orders, track by cone, and never surf the surge for footage.
How to use
- Pick mph or km/h.
- Type the sustained wind.
- Read the category first.
- Read damage beside it.
- Read the band last.
- Obey evacuation orders.
Formula
- wind
- Sustained wind in mph.
- category
- Saffir-Simpson 1 to 5 or storm.
National Hurricane Center Saffir-Simpson scale fixes the same wind bands with matching damage words. Emergency management hurricane pages repeat the scale for public guidance. Metric inputs convert at 1.60934 first; bands read sustained one minute winds.
Worked example
Example: 130 mph storm
Imperial defaults: 130 mph.
- Winds: 130 mph sustained.
- Bands: 74-95, 96-110, 111-129, 130-156, 157+.
- Category: 130 sits in Category 4.
- Damage: catastrophic damage expected.
- Metric: 209 km/h converts to the same band.
- Tool shows Category 4, Catastrophic damage, 130-156 mph.
Reference table
| Winds | Category | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 39 to 73 | Tropical Storm | Some |
| 74 to 95 | Category 1 | Some |
| 96 to 110 | Category 2 | Extensive |
| 111 to 129 | Category 3 | Devastating |
| 130 to 156 | Category 4 | Catastrophic |
| 157 plus | Category 5 | Catastrophic |
Limits
- Wind only, not surge or rain.
- Sustained winds, not gusts.
- US scale; other basins differ.
- Orders outrank arithmetic.
Common mistakes
- Rating by gusts.
- Ignoring surge flooding.
- Downgrading weak wet storms.
- Timing by math not orders.
- Mixing km/h with mph bands.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
100 mph?
Category 2 with extensive damage in 96-110.
180 mph?
Category 5 with catastrophic damage at 157 plus.
200 km/h?
Category 3 devastating: 200 km/h converts to 124 mph.
30 mph?
Below 39 stays below storm strength: no rating.
Questions
Wind bands?
74-95 Cat 1, 96-110 Cat 2, 111-129 Cat 3, 130-156 Cat 4, 157 plus Cat 5. Under 74 stays tropical.
Damage words?
Some, extensive, devastating, catastrophic, catastrophic from 1 through 5.
Sustained or gusts?
One minute sustained at 10 m height. Gusts punch higher without changing category.
Whole danger?
No, surge, rain, and size kill beyond the wind number. Category rates wind only.
200 km/h?
Yes, near 124 mph. Convert first, then band the mph result.
Evacuate by math?
No, this screens wind bands. Evacuation follows official orders, never arithmetic.