Here's what the hurricane categories mean

The Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1 and runs through Nov. 30. Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which includes five categories based on the storm’s sustained wind speeds. It also estimates possible damage to property, ranging from “some damage” to “catastrophic.”

The first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, Hurricane Erin, rapidly intensified to a fierce Category 5 on Aug. 16 before weakening as it moved northward. It did not make direct landfall but caused dangerous waves and rip currents.

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 damage,” the National Hurricane Center says. Hurricanes that fall into categories 1 or 2 are still considered dangerous, the center says. 

Here is how the scale breaks down, according to the National Hurricane Center, starting with a look at the most powerful:

Sustained wind speed of 157 mph or higher  

Sustained wind speed of 130-156 mph 

Sustained wind speed of 111-129 mph 

Sustained wind speed of 96-110 mph

Sustained wind speed of 74-95 mph

In the midst of an unusually ferocious string of hurricanes in 2017, there was some speculation about whether storms could hit a Category 6. There is officially no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane. But the idea of revising or adding to the scale has been discussed by some climate scientists who believe the current categories may not be adequate for increasingly extreme storms in the future.

Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, reached Category 5 over the Gulf of Mexico but made landfall as a Category 3 storm, ultimately flooding more than 80% of New Orleans and killing more than 1,200 people — making it one of the deadliest hurricanes to strike the U.S. It is one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history, doing more than $75 billion in damage. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida all saw destruction from Katrina.

Hurricane Ian was a strong Category 4 as it made landfall on Florida’s west coast in 2022. The deadly storm knocked out power to millions. Experts said the storm’s rapid intensification, thanks to warm sea temperatures — and warming seas are linked to climate change, which will likely not only make strong hurricanes occur more frequently, make storms move more slowly and allow them to hold more water, leading to more rain.

In the midst of an unusually ferocious string of hurricanes in 2017, there was some speculation about whether storms could hit a Category 6. There is officially no such thing as a Category 6 hurricane. But the idea of revising or adding to the scale has been discussed by some climate scientists who believe the current categories may not be adequate for increasingly extreme storms in the future.