Dr. Kim Wood

We categorize them by their maximum wind speed, but their maximum wind speed is estimated over water and water delivers less friction than land.

So you almost never see those strongest wind speeds of its category actually measured over land because it's just somewhere in the storm.

But also a hurricane delivers heavy rain.

It delivers storm surge along the coast and has the potential to produce tornadoes because why not add insult to injury?

Please don't.

And so when we're talking about hurricane hazards, the challenge often comes from we are using this wind scale to categorize them.

And so just because it was a tropical storm doesn't mean it isn't capable of delivering outsized hazards that will bring all kinds of harm and infrastructure challenges to the people in its path.

And so when it comes to category, it's one of those things where the categorization is useful.

But to a point, because then all of us who work in this area need to add that nuance.

And that's where local meteorologists trusted by their community is coming so handy is they can personalize the information about what a storm could do.

So each location affected by tropical cyclones will develop their own approach to notifying the public, that sort of thing.

And categories do vary depending on what basin it's in because every culture is different.

So time to get pedantic.

Let me have it.

In the North Atlantic and East North Pacific, we use what's called the one minute, 10 meter maximum sustained winds.

So that means over a minute,

the wind speed on average was this value, 10 meters above the surface.

And then if you go over to the Western North Pacific, where the Japan Meteorological Agency is in charge, they do a 10 minute average.

Oh.

And that means a lower number.