2
For more than 50 years, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center used the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS) to classify hurricane strength. This scale, which ranks hurricanes from Category 1 to Category 5, is based on only one metric: maximum sustained wind speed.
That wasn’t always the case. Until 2012, the SSHWS also took central pressure and storm surge into account, but the NHC eliminated these factors to reduce public confusion. The trouble is, rising global temperatures…
