The Categorizing of Hurricanes

North Carolina Department of Transportation Report

John Gambino
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Contents
Abstract 2

The Saffir-Simpson Scale 2

Storm Surge 4

What can be done? 5

Moving Forward 6

Conclusion 6

References 7

Figures
Figure 1 2

Figure 2 3

Figure 3 4
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Abstract
The purpose of this document is to put forth the issue that the system in which we categorize
hurricanes is not an accurate one. The Saffir-Simpson Scale only takes into account the speed of
the hurricane sustained winds. This can give people false hope as to whether they are actually
safe. Examples such as Hurricane Florence gave people the mindset that this hurricane was not
going to be destructive. This storm hit the coast of North Carolina after being downgraded to a
Category 1 hurricane. Although, evacuation was still called for due to the high risk of storm
surge which is the abnormal rise in water during a storm. This paper offers a solution to the
problem of giving people false hope based on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. The scale would be
reworked to include expected rainfall, speed of hurricane, and storm surge impacts rather than
just the speed of sustained winds. While sustained winds are important to note, other information
should be used to measure the intensity of hurricanes to give people all the information about the
storm in one place.

The Saffir Simpson Scale

Tracking hurricanes is not an easy task especially with many variables at play such as pressures
of the air, location, etc. As time went on, scientists were able to track the path of the hurricane at
a fairly good rate, measuring high and low pressures of the atmosphere and were able model it
(Withington 60). Although, forecasting the strength of a hurricane remains a challenge. However,
the Saffir-Simpson Scale was designed to help determine wind hazards of an approaching
hurricane easier for emergency officials and the general public, specifically measuring the
sustained winds a hurricane has (“Saffir-Simpson Scale Measurement”). The scale is assigned
five categories with Category 1 assigned to a minimal hurricane and Category 5 to a worst case
scenario hurricane. The problem with this scale is that it only measures the sustained winds of
the hurricanes outlined in each category.

Figure 1 outlines how each category is classified (“Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale”)

Hurricanes such as Florence in 2018, brought extensive damage to the coast of North Carolina.
The issue here was that it was categorized as a Category 1 hurricane when approaching land.
This gave people the idea that this was not going to be a bad storm. Although several statements
were issued by the National Hurricane Center stating there was still a high risk in storm surge
which is the abnormal rise in water during a storm and can cause massive flooding. The storm
hovered above the coast before hitting the mainland, dropping 36 inches of rain onto the city of
Wilmington which no one saw coming as it was classified as a Category 1 storm (“Why the
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Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be Scrapped”). Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the
National Hurricane Center, addressed the issue in including more information into the Saffir-
Simpson Scale such as a value measuring storm surge. He states Hurricane “Debby, Isaac and
Sandy show us how much we really need to hit the accelerator on getting that storm surge
warning out the door” (“Does the Saffir-Simpson Scale Need an Improvement?”). Although the
scale can continue to survive, it may not be the most impactful or useful way to look at storm’s
intensity and impact. Weather Channel Hurricane Specialist Dr. Greg Postel states that while
certain aspects of storms may be worse than others, the wind impacts may be smaller in systems
but other impacts such as water level, rainfall and storm surge remain large (“Does the Saffir-
Simpson Scale Need an Improvement?”).

Figure 2 shows the storm surge statistics of Hurricane Florence (Google Images).

A new way to categorize hurricanes needs to be created because the National Hurricane Center
claims that a Category 3 hurricane is considered a “major hurricane” while Hurricane Florence,
that hit NC was considered one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit the Carolinas, was
classified as a mere Category 1 (“Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be
Scrapped”).

Storm Surge
Storm surge is often considered a huge threat to life on the coast due to rise in ocean levels. What
is storm surge? Storm surge is the abnormal rise in water generated by a storm system and
produced by water pushed up to towards the shore due to the winds moving cyclonically around
the storm (“Storm Surge”).
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Figure 3 gives a description of how storm surge works (“Storm Surge.” Storm Surge Overview)

The maximum output of storm surge is dependent on a numerous amount of factors such as
location, winds, and central pressure. As the population density continues to increase along the
coast, the impacts of storm surge could be astronomical when a hurricane hits. Most of the land
along the coast is less than 10 feet above sea level and over half of the US’s economic
productivity is located along the coast (“Storm Surge”).

What can be done?

Hurricanes are a serious threat to life especially along coastal regions. Incorporating storm surge
statistics into categorizing hurricanes will be a tremendous help in addressing the public about
the issue. The public looks towards news outlets to get their information. If meteorologists are
only focusing on what category a hurricane is, another Category 1 hurricane like Florence may
come around and more people will be stuck in their homes, continuing to deal with the lasting
effects of storm surge. Many of those from North Carolina admitted that they refused to evacuate
from their homes because Florence was downgraded from a Category 4 to 1 as it was no longer
classified as “major hurricane” (“Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be
Scrapped”). Tens of thousands of Carolinians were trapped in their homes after this storm
plowed its way through. While no blame should be thrown around as to what was portrayed on
the news, in preparation for the next hurricane, more emphasis should be placed on the effects of
storm surge rather be dependent on the speed of the winds. Water has longer and lasting damage
than wind does.

As stated previously, the Saffir-Simpson Scale only measures the sustained winds of a hurricane
but this may not be relative to the intensity of the storm. The problem here is water not wind. The
most destructive storms in the past such as Florence, Harvey, Sandy, and Katrina have plowed
through cities, generating a tremendous amount of storm surge, waves, and a large amount of
rain on the mainland (“Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be Scrapped”). The
proposed solution would rework this scale to include the impacts of storm surge. This could
bring previously issued Category 1 Hurricanes to new heights in the future issuing of storms.
While the National Hurricane Center does release information on the impacts of storm surge to
the public, having the information put together based on a scale would give the public more
knowledge on the intensity of the storm coming to their area. Storm surge projections are already
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issued when a tropical storm system approaches land. These projections could be issued in an
altered format to fit hurricanes. Weather Channel meteorologist Carl Parker gives an example of
how the public could see this come together. He states “If, for example, you have a Category 1
hurricane that has a surge value being a four out of five, I think the public can really draw
something from that" (“Does the Saffir-Simpson Scale Need an Improvement?”).

Moving Forward
As stated previously, the Saffir-Simpson Scale only measures the sustained winds of a hurricane
but this may not be relative to the intensity of the storm. The problem here is water not wind. The
most destructive storms in the past such as Florence, Harvey, Sandy, and Katrina have plowed
through cities, generating a tremendous amount of storm surge, waves, and a large amount of
rain on the mainland (“Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be Scrapped”). A
proposed solution to this issue would be to rework the system to include the impacts of storm
surge. This could bring previously issued Category 1 Hurricanes to new heights in the future
issuing of storms. While the National Hurricane Center does release information on the impacts
of storm surge to the public, having the information put together based on a scale would give the
public more knowledge on the intensity of the storm coming to their area. Storm surge
projections are already issued when a tropical storm system approaches land. These projections
could be issued in an altered format to fit hurricanes. Weather Channel meteorologist Carl Parker
gives an example of how the public could see this come together. He states “If, for example, you
have a Category 1 hurricane that has a surge value being a four out of five, I think the public can
really draw something from that" (“Does the Saffir-Simpson Scale Need an Improvement?”).
Hurricanes are a serious threat to life especially along coastal regions. Incorporating storm surge
statistics into categorizing hurricanes will be a tremendous help in addressing the public about
the issue. The public looks towards news outlets to get their information. If meteorologists are
only focusing on what category a hurricane is, another Category 1 hurricane like Florence may
come around and more people will be stuck in their homes, continuing to deal with the lasting
effects of storm surge. Many of those from North Carolina admitted that they refused to evacuate
from their homes because Florence was downgraded from a Category 4 to 1 as it was no longer
classified as “major hurricane” (“Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be
Scrapped”). Tens of thousands of Carolinians were trapped in their homes after this storm
plowed its way through. While no blame should be thrown around as to what was portrayed on
the news, in preparation for the next hurricane, more emphasis should be placed on the effects of
storm surge rather be dependent on the speed of the winds. Water has longer and lasting damage
than wind does.

Conclusion
While this solution would require a rework of all numbers in meteorology, the minimal effort
that could be put forward would be to downplay the significance of categorizing these hurricanes
when telling the public about them through news outlets. Although meteorologists did try to
explain how bad the storm surge was going to be during Hurricane Florence, more emphasis on
this hurricane’s winds were portrayed. As previously stated, the Saffir-Simpson Scale is not the
most efficient way to categorize hurricanes because it only measures the sustained winds inside
of the hurricane thus giving people the wrong idea about the intensity of the hurricanes. Storm
surge should be involved in the discussion of categorizing these superstorms. The impacts of
water are worse than wind because water can have lasting and devasting effects such as extensive
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flooding and other forms of damage. When watching the news in the future, pay more attention
to the information given about storm surge rather than focusing on the category of the hurricane.

References
“Saffir-Simpson Scale Measurement .” Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale,

www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php.

“Storm Surge.” Storm Surge Overview, www.nhc.noaa.gov/surge/.

US Department of Commerce, and Noaa. “Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.” National

Weather Service, NOAA's National Weather Service, 11 Feb. 2019,

www.weather.gov/hgx/tropical_scale.

The Weather Channel. “Does the Saffir-Simpson Scale Need an Improvement?” The Weather
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Channel, The Weather Channel, 1 Dec. 2012, weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/

hurricanes-scale-change-20121128.

“Why the Current Hurricane Rating System Needs to Be Scrapped.” Yale E360,

e360.yale.edu/features/why-the-current-hurricane-rating-system-needs-to-be-scrapped.

Withington, John Storm. Reaktion Books Ltd, 2016.