What is the Saffir-Simpson scale and how does it work?

He Hurricane Beryl approaches Yucatan and the Peninsula in general; according to the national coordinator of Civil Protection, Laura Velázquez, it is estimated that landfall on Thursday night or the early morning of Friday the 5th between Tulum and Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo.

The coordinator pointed out that so far the phenomenon does not represent a risk to the population, It is located more than 1,400 kilometers from Quintana Roo in the Caribbean Sea.
However, many people wonder How to measure a hurricane; here we explain what the scale is Saffir-Simpson and how it works.

Hurricane “Beryl” in Yucatan: What is the Saffir-Simpson scale?

According to the Institute of Geography of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the Saffir-Simpson scale It is a classification used for measure the intensity of hurricanes based on sustained wind speed, with Category 5 being the most devastating.

This scale characterizes tropical cyclones as a wide variety of atmospheric systems They have a high-temperature core and surface winds that vary from 63 km/h to speeds exceeding 252 km/h. The categories are divided as follows:

• Category 1: Winds of 119 to 153 km/h (74 to 95 mph). Minimal damage, mainly to trees and shrubs, as well as to loosely secured structures.
• Category 2: Winds of 154 to 177 km/h (96 to 110 mph). Considerable damage to trees and brush, and significant damage to mobile homes and poorly constructed structures.
• Category 3: Winds of 178 to 208 km/h (111 to 129 mph). Devastating damage, with a high risk of mobile home destruction and extensive building damage.
• Category 4: Winds of 209 to 251 km/h (130 to 156 mph). Catastrophic damage, with a high risk of roof and wall collapses in well-constructed buildings.
• Category 5: Winds of 252 km/h (157 mph) or greater. Extreme damage, with a high risk of total destruction of buildings and inhabited areas.

In addition, by classifying the intensity of tropical cyclones based on wind speed, this scale does not consider other important factorssuch as the system size o to amount of rain they produce.

For its part, the National Hurricane Center The National Hydrological Council (NHC) explained that the scale does not take into account the potential for other related impacts, such as storm surges, flooding caused by rainfall and tornadoes.

And it should be noted that General descriptions of damages depend to some extent on applicable local building codes.

Read here: Where will Beryl pass in the Peninsula? New route less than 24 hours following impact

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