Hurricane Erin raced from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm. If Erin keeps ramping up, is there a Category 6?

If a storm is a Category 3, 4 or 5, it is deemed a "major" hurricane due to the potential for "significant loss of life and ...

Those categories are based on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which is one tool for assessing the intensity of a hurricane, but it's important to know what it means in terms of wind ...

The gradual weakening of Hurricane Erin that started Monday afternoon continued overnight and was still underway Tuesday ...

The longstanding hurricane rating system, the Saffir-Simpson Scale, only takes into account sustained wind speeds and not the ...

Hurricane Erin briefly strengthened into a Category 5 storm. It is not expected to make a direct hit on the U.S. but will create dangerous surf.

When it comes to hurricanes, one of the biggest questions is what category it will be. Hurricanes are categorized using the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is based on sustained wind speed.

Let's break it down. Big Picture -What It Measures: As the name implies, the current version is strictly a wind scale that rates a hurricane's sustained winds (not gusts) from Category 1 through 5.

Hurricanes are categorized on a scale of one through five using the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is based on sustained wind speed: Category 1: 74-95 mph Category 2: 96-110 mph Category 3: 111-129 mph ...