Data classification exists everywhere, even in the weather. This interesting take on classification came to us from NBC2 out of Florida, in their article, “Weather Blog: How hurricanes are classified.”
The most recent hurricane (Matthew) provided a perfect example of a rapid amplification from a tropical storm to category 5 hurricane in less than 40 hours. This highlighted the importance of knowing how hurricanes are classified and why such an increase in strength is significant.
The Saffir-Simpson Scale is the global standard on ranking hurricanes using a simple one to five measurement. The scale takes into account the maximum sustained wind speed observed inside a hurricane. Using groupings of set wind speeds, the scale offers the public a way to process the strength of an impending system and how to prepare for its arrival.
No two hurricanes are alike. The Saffir-Simpson Scale only accounts for the speed of a hurricane’s wind. It is important to note that the amount, severity and depth of storm surge as a result of the winds are not taken into consideration with hurricane classifications.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.
