Hurricane Category 3
Hurricane Category 3 :
The third of five levels of relative hurricane intensity on the Saffir/Simpson hurricane scale. A Category 3 hurricane is defined by winds of 111 to 130 MPH, or a storm surge of 9 to 12 feet above normal. This category normally does some structural damage to small residences and utility buildings, with a minor amount of curtain wall failures. Mobile homes are destroyed. Flooding near the coast can be expected to destroy smaller structures, with larger structures damaged by floating debris. Terrain continuously lower than 5 feet above sea level may be flooded inland as far as 6 miles. (NOAA. The Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale. August 17, 2007 update) Statistics show that the largest loss of life and property occur in locations experiencing the core of a category 3 or stronger hurricane. (Blake, Rappaport, Landsea, The Deadliest, 2007, 3)
