NASA QuikSCAT image of Typhoon Nesat (2005) showing the near-surface winds generated by the storm 10 meters above the ocean. With winds of 213 kilometers per hour (115 knots or 132 mph) and gusts to 259 kph (140 knots or 161 mph), Nesat was a Category 4 storm.

Hurricanes are ranked according to their maximum winds using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. A Category 1 storm has the lowest maximum winds, a Category 5 hurricane has the highest. The rankings are not absolute in terms of effects. Lower-category storms can inflict greater damage than higher-category storms, depending on factors such as local terrain and total rainfall. For instance, a Category 2 hurricane that strikes a major urban area will likely do more damage than a large Category 5 hurricane that strikes a mostly rural region. In fact, tropical systems of less than hurricane strength can produce significant damage and human casualties, especially from flooding and landslides. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the levels of tropical depression and tropical storm and thereby become hurricanes. ... Image File history File links Nesat_QuikSCAT_2005jun06. ... Image File history File links Nesat_QuikSCAT_2005jun06. ... The QuikSCAT (Quick Scatterometer) is an earth-observing satellite that provides wind speed and direction information over oceans to NOAA.It is a quick recovery mission to fill the gap created by the loss of data from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) that was lost in June 1997. ... First storm formed: January 13, 2005 Last storm dissipated: December 20, 2005 Strongest storm: Haitang and Nabi - 140 knots Total storms: 24 Typhoons: 16 Super typhoons: 7 Total fatalities: 328 The 2005 Pacific typhoon season had no official bounds; it ran year-round in 2005, but most tropical cyclones tend... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the levels of tropical depression and tropical storm and thereby become hurricanes. ...

The U.S. National Hurricane Center classifies hurricanes of Category 3 and above as major hurricanes. The U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center classifies typhoons with wind speeds of at least 150 mph (67 m/s or 241 km/h, equivalent to a strong Category 4 storm) as Super Typhoons. Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government • President • Vice President Federal Republic George... The U.S. National Hurricane Center is the division of National Weather Services Tropical Prediction Center responsible for tracking and predicting the likely behavior of tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. ... The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) is a division of the United States Navys Naval Pacific Meteorology and Oceanography Center in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. ...

The definition of sustained winds recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and used by most weather agencies is that of a 10-minute average at a height of 10m. The U.S. weather service defines sustained winds based on 1-minute average speed measured 10 m (33 ft) above the surface.^[1][2] The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 187 Member States and Territories. ...

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology uses a 1-5 scale called tropical cyclone severity categories. Unlike the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale, severity categories are based on estimated maximum wind gusts, which are a further 30-40% stronger than the 10-minute average sustained winds.^[3] Severity categories are scaled lower than the Saffir-Simpson Scale - for example, a severity category 2 tropical cyclone is roughly equivalent to a strong tropical storm or a weak Saffir-Simpson category 1 hurricane. The Bureau of Meteorology is an Australian government organisation responsible for providing weather services to Australia and surrounding areas. ... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the levels of tropical depression and tropical storm and thereby become hurricanes. ... Wind is the quasi-horizontal movement of air (as opposed to an air current) caused by a horizontal pressure gradient force. ...

The sustained winds given in the table are based on a 10-minute average.^[3] Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. ...

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology also offers this comparison table between classification systems:^[8]

Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan use the following scale to classify tropical cyclones. This scale is also for regional exchange among Typhoon Committee members. ^[9]

Note: Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. ...

• The sustained winds given in the table are based on a 10-minute average.
• Japan and Taiwan use another scale in their own language.
• The Philippines merges the category 'Severe Tropical Storm' with 'Tropical Storm' when issuing public advisories.
• China uses a very similar scale except for the following:
  • 2-minute sustained winds are used.^[10]
  • The sustained winds of Tropical Depression is defined as being equivalent to a Beaufort force 6-7, i.e. a lower limit is set.^[11]
  • Typhoon is further divided into three categories since the sudden introduction of the extended Beaufort scale on May 15, 2006. The sustained winds of Typhoon, Strong Typhoon and Super Strong Typhoon are defined as being equivalent to a Beaufort force 12-13, 14-15 and 16-17 respectively.^[12][13]

The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. ... The Beaufort scale is an empirical measure for describing wind intensity based mainly on observed sea conditions. ...

See also

Tropical cyclones Portal

• Tropical cyclone
• Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1000x662, 320 KB) http://eol. ... Cyclone Catarina, a rare South Atlantic tropical cyclone viewed from the International Space Station on March 26, 2004. ... The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is a scale classifying most Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the levels of tropical depression and tropical storm and thereby become hurricanes. ...

References

1. ^ http://www.weather.gov/directives/sym/pd01006004curr.pdf
2. ^ Federal Emergency Management Agency (2004). “Hurricane Glossary of Terms”. Retrieved 2006-03-24
3. ^ ^a b http://www.bom.gov.au/info/marine/marpamp.shtml
4. ^ http://www.bom.gov.au/info/cyclone/#severity
5. ^ Comparison between strongest gust and suatained winds from Perth Tropical Cyclone Warning Center
6. ^ Comparison between Cyclone Category System and Beaufort Scale from Brisbane Tropical Cyclone Warning Center
7. ^ http://www.ntlib.nt.gov.au/tracy/basic/Met/Warning.html
8. ^ http://www.bom.gov.au/catalogue/warnings/WarningsInformation_TC_Ed.shtml#Cat
9. ^ http://www.wmo.ch/web/www/TCP/OperationPlans/TCP-232005.pdf
10. ^ http://www.typhoon.gov.cn/list_tyknown.php?&id=24
11. ^ http://www.typhoon.gov.cn/zhishi2.php
12. ^ http://www.grmc.gov.cn/tqyb/wx.asp
13. ^ http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2006-05-16/06518935033s.shtml