Sharkius-Leaf scale
The Sharkius-Leaf hurricane wind scale (SLHWS) classifies hurricanes—which in the Western Hemisphere are tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms—into seven categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds. This scale was introduced for the 2050 Atlantic hurricane season onwards to better describe hurricane wind speeds.
| Category | Wind speeds
(1-min sustained winds) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| m/s | knots (kn) | mph | km/h | |
| Hypercane | ≥ 135 m/s | ≥ 261 kn | ≥ 300 mph | ≥ 482 km/h |
| Category 6 extreme hurricane | 101-134 m/s | 196-260 kn | 225-299 mph | 361-481 km/h |
| Category 5 major hurricane | 72-100 m/s | 139-195 kn | 160-224 mph | 257-360 km/h |
| Category 4 major hurricane | 58-71 m/s | 113-138 kn | 130-159 mph | 209-256 km/h |
| Category 3 major hurricane | 51-57 m/s | 100-112 kn | 115-129 mph | 185-208 km/h |
| Category 2 hurricane | 43-50 m/s | 83-99 kn | 95-114 mph | 152-184 km/h |
| Category 1 hurricane | 34-42 m/s | 65-82 kn | 75-94 mph | 120-151 km/h |
| Tropical Storm | 18-33 m/s | 35-64 kn | 40-74 mph | 64-119 km/h |
| Tropical Depression | ≥ 9-17 m/s | ≥ 18-34 kn | ≥ 20-39 mph | ≥ 32-63 km/h |