AccuWeather's Ali Reid explains how the AccuWeather RealImpact scale gives a more comprehensive view of hurricane impacts.

Accuweather has launched the RealImpact scale for hurricanes, addressing limitations in the traditional Saffir Simpson scale, which only measures wind speed. The new scale rates hurricanes from less than one to five, incorporating additional factors such as economic damage, storm surge, and flooding.

This approach aims to provide a more complete picture of a hurricane's potential for destruction, as statistics show that water-related hazards like flooding and storm surge are often more deadly than wind. For example, Hurricane Sandy would have received a much higher rating under the RealImpact scale due to its extensive flooding and storm surge impacts, despite being classified as a category one by wind speed alone.

AccuWeather's RealImpact scale for hurricanes

When a hurricane strikes its impact can stretch far beyond the coastline and far beyond the power of the wind. But for decades, the system used to rate hurricanes, the Saffir Simpson scale has focused on just one factor, how fast the winds are blowing. The Saffir Simpson scale was designed as a way to measure hurricanes and classify them, but it only measures hurricanes based on just purely wind speed. Accuweather experts say Saffir Simpson leaves out some of the most life threatening hazards, though. That's why they developed the Accuweather real impact scale for hurricanes. We classify them from less than one all the way up to five on the Accuweather real impact scale for hurricanes. And unlike the Saffir Simpson scale, we measure not only wind speed, but we also measure economic damage, storm surge and flooding. It's a more comprehensive look at a storm's true potential for destruction. The statistics show that more people lose their lives in hurricanes due to water rather than the wind. So flooding rain and storm surge are much more deadly in hurricanes. For example, Hurricane Sandy wasn't a major hurricane by wind speed, but its overall toll tells a much different story. When Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey in 2012, it was rated a category one hurricane. That storm would be rated a five if it were to happen again today because of just the extensive inland flooding that we saw with Hurricane Sandy and the storm surge that impacted New Jersey and New York by capturing the full range of threats, not just wind. The Accuweather real impact scale aims to help communities better understand what's coming and prepare before it's too late for Accuweather. I'm Ali Reed.

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