The Saffir-Simpson scale uses wind speed to categorize hurricanes.
The Saffir-Simpson scale uses wind speed to categorize hurricanes. To determine the category of a hurricane on this scale, you need to know the maximum sustained wind speed of the storm. The scale consists of five categories, ranging from Category 1 to Category 5, with each category representing a specific range of wind speeds. The higher the category, the stronger the hurricane's wind speeds and potential for damage. So, when categorizing hurricanes using the Saffir-Simpson scale, you would look at the wind speed of the storm to determine its classification.