Quote:
Originally Posted by erickpl
Kinda begs the question: What determines category and is it sufficient?
Wind speed alone is not enough apparently. Cat 1 winds but moving slower than molasses. So rain, surge, etc come into play.
Maybe they need to reconsider the hurricane severity based on multiple factors. This one is a HUGE storm and moving slowly. Water damage will be huge but wind damage may be less than expected.
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The Saffir Simpson scale is for wind only.
It only categorizes a storm by the predicted wind damage. Other damage such as storm surge and flooding have more to do with moisture than wind. Once a storm hits category 4 and 5, the amount of moisture the storm picks up is much greater than that of a cat 1 or 2. The problem is, that moisture does not dissipate as the winds dissipate.
The storm is still carrying the equivalent of a cat 4 storm in terms of moisture. and rainfall.