Hurricanes are scary and can be life-threatening at any stage, but there are important distinctions between categories 1 through 5 in terms of how much of a potential punch a storm can pack.

Hurricane categories & wind speeds

By the numbers:

The National Hurricane Center uses the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale which estimates potential property damage using a 1 to 5 rating depending on the sustained wind speed of a specific hurricane.

Category 1: 74-95 mph

Category 2: 96-110 mph

Category 3: 111-129 mph

Category 4: 130-156 mph

Category 5: Over 156 mph

Potential hurricane impacts by category

Why you should care:

The stronger the hurricane, the more devastating it can be to the areas it hits. Here is everything you need to know about each hurricane classification based on data

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