Melissa is now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, the U.S. Hurricane Center said on Saturday. The hurricane was located about 280 miles (450 km) from Port-au-Prince, Haiti,

A Georgia Tech researcher says we may need more tools to measure the full impacts of strong hurricanes like Melissa.

The storm, the strongest possible one on the Saffir-Simpson scale, will likely cause flash flooding and landslides in its wake.

As Hurricane Melissa rages across Jamaica, even those reporting the news have been struck by the severity of the storm that has officially been marked a category 5 — the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

For the last few years, I have opined about the inadequacy of the Saffir — Simpson scale for conveying the full impacts of hurricanes. Harvey (2017), Milton (2024) and Helene (2024) are examples of hurricanes that altered landscapes and entire regions ...

When you hear terms like Category 1, Category 3 or even the rare Category 5 mentioned regarding hurricanes, what is being discussed is the classification system for hurricanes based on their winds. Here is what the scale means: The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane ...

As climate change continues to alter the landscape with more intense weather patterns, some scientists argue that a new Category 6 might need to be considered, as storms continue to intensify in strength. Introduced in the 1960s and refined in the 1970s ...

The hurricane severity scale used today only measures wind, not storm surge or rainfall. USF professor Jennifer Collins helped develop a new system called the Tropical Cyclone Severity Scale. Researchers hope it will give the public more insight to better ...

Hurricane Melissa is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with a maximum of 5, with maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometers per hour and higher gusts.