1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,160 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren vocal Baum and today's episode is another classic 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: from our former host, Christian Sagar. Here in the United States, 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: hurricane season is upon us, so today I wanted to 5 00:00:17,120 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: bring back a pertinent topic, how are hurricanes categorized? And 6 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: what do those categories really mean? Hey brain Stuff, it's 7 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: Christian Sager here. When hurricane season arrives each year on 8 00:00:31,240 --> 00:00:35,680 Speaker 1: June one, phrases such as storm surge, wind speed, and 9 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: eyewall suddenly become part of the summer lexicon in the 10 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: United States. But probably the most important words to know 11 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 1: about a hurricane are those that describe its power, and 12 00:00:47,120 --> 00:00:50,960 Speaker 1: those include whether it's a Category one or category five. 13 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: The variance between the strengths of these two storms could 14 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 1: mean the difference between life and death. Now, meteorologists rank 15 00:00:59,400 --> 00:01:04,400 Speaker 1: hurricanes from one to five based on the Saffer Simpson Scale. 16 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: The scale is a yard stick that takes into account 17 00:01:07,200 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: a hurricane's wind speed, storm surge, and air pressure, and 18 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: the scale begins with a category one, the least powerful 19 00:01:14,720 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: and dangerous hurricane, and then it moves towards its climax 20 00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 1: at category five, the most catastrophic. As the storm pushes 21 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: across the ocean, it gathers speed and strength. Low air 22 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: pressure forces ocean water into a huge mound near the eye, 23 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,880 Speaker 1: which could create a devastating storm surge. When the wall 24 00:01:34,920 --> 00:01:39,160 Speaker 1: of water reaches land. The more heat and moisture hurricane consumes, 25 00:01:39,360 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: the more powerful the storm becomes. That's where the Saffer 26 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 1: Simpson scale comes in. The scale was created when Robert H. 27 00:01:47,360 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 1: Simpson was director of the National Hurricane Center in nineteen 28 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:55,560 Speaker 1: sixty nine, during the time Hurricane Camille blew through the 29 00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: Caribbean and into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. 30 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 1: Its winds were clocked at a hundred and ninety miles 31 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: per hour or three hundred and six kilometers per hour 32 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,799 Speaker 1: as it struck Mississippi, and the official death poll from 33 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: wind storm surge in rain was two hundred and fifty 34 00:02:14,440 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 1: six people. In nineteen seventy one, Herbert S. Saffer was 35 00:02:18,960 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: working as an engineer in Florida preparing a report for 36 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:26,280 Speaker 1: the United Nations on building codes that could withstand the 37 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: onslaught of high speed winds. He eventually came up with 38 00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:34,079 Speaker 1: a table that outlined the damage to buildings wind can 39 00:02:34,160 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 1: cause at various speeds. He worked up five categories of 40 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,600 Speaker 1: hurricanes based on damage each one could cause. In nineteen 41 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: seventy two, Simpson took Saffer's numbers and correlated them with 42 00:02:47,440 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: storm surge estimates and barometric pressure. The result was the 43 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 1: Saffer Simpson Scale. By nineteen seventy five, the Saffer Simpson 44 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: scale was in widespread use. Local, state, and federal officials, 45 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,079 Speaker 1: not to mention, the public at large now had an 46 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:09,080 Speaker 1: easy to read and understand chart that outlined a hurricanes impact. 47 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,760 Speaker 1: While the Safer Simpson scale is a good measuring tool, 48 00:03:13,080 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: it doesn't really tell the full story of a hurricanes impact. 49 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 1: Hurricanes pack a lot of kinetic energy, and as a byproduct, 50 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: a hurricane's power increases exponentially from one category to the 51 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: next as wind speed increases. A Category five hurricane, for example, 52 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: is five hundred times more powerful than a Category one. 53 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:39,520 Speaker 1: How does this relate to property damage Compared to a 54 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: Category one? A Category to hurricane can generate seven times 55 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:47,839 Speaker 1: the amount of damage, while a Category five storm can 56 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:52,440 Speaker 1: generate a hundred and forty four times the amount of destruction. 57 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by John Paritano and pretty by 58 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: Dylan Fagan and Tyler Clang. For more on listen lots 59 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 1: of other topics, visit how stuffworks dot com. Brain Stuff 60 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: is production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts for 61 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 62 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.