The highest category hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale is Category 5.

What Category 5 Means

A Category 5 hurricane is defined as a storm with maximum sustained winds of at least 157 mph (about 252 km/h) or higher.

At this level, wind damage is expected to be catastrophic, with many buildings heavily damaged or destroyed and areas potentially uninhabitable for weeks or months.

Quick Facts

  • Scale used: Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which rates hurricanes from Category 1 to Category 5 based on sustained wind speed.
  • “Major” hurricanes: Categories 3, 4, and 5 are considered major because of their high potential for severe damage and loss of life.
  • No Category 6 (officially): Some public discussions and forums speculate about a Category 6, but officially the scale currently stops at Category 5.

Why Category Isn’t Everything

  • The category only measures wind , not rainfall, storm surge height, or how long the storm lingers over an area.
  • Weaker, slow-moving storms can still cause devastating flooding, which is why forecasters stress that people should not focus on category alone when judging danger.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.