This afternoon, the government of Florida has made official the arrival of Hurricane Ian on the coasts of said state, which has entered as category 4 but it is not ruled out that as the hours progress, it could increase in intensity and category 5.
Let us remember that the intensity of hurricanes is measured based on the scale known as Saffir-Simpson. This divides cyclones and storms into different scales ranging from 1 to 5, the latter being the maximum, depending on the speed of its winds and its storm surge, which is exactly an abnormal increase in sea level after a storm. .
Likewise, this scale can also calculate the damage that a hurricane can cause, once it has made landfall.
Below we explain what each category of the scale that measures the intensity of hurricanes means.
This means each category a hurricane can be classified into
Category 1: This type of hurricane registers winds that reach speeds between 119 and 153 km/h and waves can rise up to 1.5 meters above normal o. A hurricane of this category usually causes damage, mainly to homes that are not anchored; removes debris, trees, and signs, and flooding on near-coastal roads and minor dock damage can be expected.