Which scale classifies hurricanes from Category 1 to Category 5 by sustained wind speed?

The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale classifies hurricanes from Category 1 to Category 5 by sustained wind speed.

The scale was developed in the early 1970s by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson. Saffir studied how wind affects buildings, while Simpson, then director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center, helped connect wind categories with expected damage. The system became widely used for Atlantic and northeastern Pacific hurricanes.

Category 1 begins at sustained winds of 74 mph, or 119 km/h, and Category 5 begins at 157 mph, or 252 km/h. The categories are based on maximum sustained wind, not wind gusts, rainfall, storm surge, or a hurricane’s physical size. A lower-category hurricane can therefore produce severe flooding or a dangerous storm surge.

The scale is sometimes mistaken for a general hurricane-danger scale. It specifically measures wind intensity. The National Hurricane Center uses a one-minute average for sustained wind, while other countries may use different averaging periods for cyclone warnings.