What hurricane categories mean and how much damage they bring

A tropical cyclone gets a name once it reaches a certain intensity. From there, it moves into one of six categories. The first is a tropical storm with winds between 39 and 73 mph. These storms can bring heavy rain and dangerous flooding. The second is a Category 1 hurricane, the weakest of the hurricanes. It has winds between 74 and 95 mph and can cause some flooding. The third is a Category 2 hurricane with winds from 96 to 110 mph. It can cause moderate damage to buildings. The fourth is a Category 3 storm with winds from 111 to 129 mph. It can cause major damage to well-built framed homes, uproot trees and cause power and communication outages. The fifth is a Category 4 storm with winds of 130 to 156 mph. It can cause catastrophic damage to well-built framed homes. In addition, it can destroy mobile homes, make roads impassable and cause communication and power outages. The sixth is a Category 5 storm with winds of 157 mph or greater. These storms can cause catastrophic damage with most framed homes and mobile homes being destroyed. In addition, it can snap and uproot trees, make roads impassable and cause be extended power and communication outages.