Description

The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS), formerly the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS), classifies hurricanes – Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones with sustained winds that exceed 63 knots – into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds.

The scale was developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson, who at the time was director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).