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Category 4
hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depend ...
s are
tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Dep ...
s that reach Category 4 intensity on the
Saffir–Simpson scale The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) classifies hurricanes—which in the Western Hemisphere are tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms—into five categories distinguished ...
. Category 4 hurricanes that later attained Category 5 strength are not included in this list. The Atlantic basin includes the open waters of the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, the
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
and the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United St ...
. Category 4 is the second-highest hurricane classification category on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale, and storms that are of this intensity maintain
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. U ...
s of 113–136  knots (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h). Based on the Atlantic hurricane database, 144 hurricanes have attained Category 4 hurricane status since 1851, the start of modern meteorological record keeping. Category 4 storms are considered extreme hurricanes.
Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...
, which was a Category 4 storm, brought on a storm surge, the third greatest
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
ever recorded (after
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cos ...
and
Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was the second most intense tropical cyclone on record to strike the United States, behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. The most intense storm of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season, Camille originated as a tropical depressio ...
, respectively).


Statistics


Wind, Damage, and Storm Surge statistics

Category 4 hurricanes have
maximum sustained wind The maximum sustained wind associated with a tropical cyclone is a common indicator of the intensity of the storm. Within a mature tropical cyclone, it is found within the eyewall at a distance defined as the radius of maximum wind, or RMW. U ...
s of 113–136  knots (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h). "Sustained winds" refers to the average
wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ho ...
speed observed over one minute at a height of 10 
meters The metre ( British spelling) or meter ( American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pre ...
(33 ft) above ground. Gusts can be up to 30% higher than the sustained winds. Mobile homes and other buildings without fixed structures can be completely destroyed, and the lower floors of sturdier structures usually sustain major damage. In addition to the winds, the cyclones generally produce a
storm surge A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the ...
of 13–18 feet (4–5.5 m) above normal, potentially causing major beach erosion. Heavy, irreparable damage and/or near complete destruction of gas station canopies and other wide span overhang type structures are also very common, and mobile and manufactured homes are often completely destroyed. Low-level terrain may be flooded well inland, as well. In addition, Category 4 hurricanes are often Cape Verde-type hurricanes. Cape Verde hurricanes are usually the strongest, and their track sometimes points them towards the United States, or other land.


Air pressure statistics

The record high and low statistics for a Category 4 hurricane, in terms of pressure in millibars (mbar) and hectopascals (hPa), are
Hurricane Opal Hurricane Opal was a large and powerful Category 4 hurricane that caused severe and extensive damage along the northern Gulf Coast of the United States in October 1995. The fifteenth named storm, ninth hurricane and strongest tropical cyclo ...
of
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake stri ...
, peaking at a record low of 916 mbar/hPa, and the 1926 Nassau hurricane, peaking at a record high of 967 mbar/hPa. These, on average, are the peaks of a Category 5 major hurricane and a Category 2 hurricane. The average pressure for a Category 4 Atlantic hurricane is between 932 and 945 mbar/hPa, just to delimit boundaries of what pressure a Category 4 hurricane peaks at.


History of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanes

The number of Category 4 and 5 hurricanes appears to have nearly doubled in occurrence from 1970 to 2004. It is likely that the increase in Atlantic tropical storm and hurricane frequency is primarily due to improved monitoring. Due to growing population in major coastal cities, many areas have become more vulnerable to strong hurricanes, especially categories 4 and 5.


Meteorological measurements

All of the storms listed in this analysis are listed in chronological order, but they also list the minimum central pressure and maximum sustained winds. Each of these meteorological readings are taken using a specific meteorological instrument. For modern storms, the minimum
pressure Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and ...
measurements are taken by
reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using photography), signals intelligence, as w ...
using
dropsonde A dropsonde is an expendable weather reconnaissance device created by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), designed to be dropped from an aircraft at altitude over water to measure (and therefore track) storm conditions as the devi ...
s, or by determining it from satellite imagery using the
Dvorak technique The Dvorak technique (developed between 1969 and 1984 by Vernon Dvorak) is a widely used system to estimate tropical cyclone intensity (which includes tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane/typhoon/intense tropical cyclone intensitie ...
. For older storms, pressures are often incomplete, typically being provided by ship-reports or land-observations. None of these methods can provide constant pressure measurements; thus it is possible the only measurement occurred when the cyclone was at a lesser strength. Sustained winds are taken using an
Anemometer In meteorology, an anemometer () is a device that measures wind speed and direction. It is a common instrument used in weather stations. The earliest known description of an anemometer was by Italian architect and author Leon Battista Alberti ( ...
at 10 meters (33 ft) above the ground. Accessed through the
Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by the Internet Archive, a nonprofit based in San Francisco, California. Created in 1996 and launched to the public in 2001, it allows the user to go "back in time" and se ...
.


Climatology

A total of 94 hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean Basin, including the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United St ...
and the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
, have reached Category 4 status as their peak intensity. (Note that Category 4 storms that intensified later to Category 5 status are not included in this analysis.) Most Category 4 hurricanes occur during September, with 51 storms occurring in that month. This coincides with the average peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, which occurs on September 10. Most Category 4 hurricanes develop in the warm waters of the
Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United St ...
and the
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea ( es, Mar Caribe; french: Mer des Caraïbes; ht, Lanmè Karayib; jam, Kiaribiyan Sii; nl, Caraïbische Zee; pap, Laman Karibe) is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico ...
. Several Category 4 hurricanes are Cape Verde-type hurricanes. There have been no Category 4 hurricanes to form in either May or December, or in any other month outside the traditional bounds of the Atlantic hurricane season.


Systems


1851–1949

, - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , None , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , United States Gulf Coast , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean, Mexico, Texas , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , None , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean, Southeastern United States , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , Eastern United States, Atlantic Canada , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean, Eastern United States, Atlantic Canada , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean, Eastern United States, Atlantic Canada , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , Lesser Antiles, Greater Antiles , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Bahamas, Eastern United States, Atlantic Canada , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , , , , , , , The Caribbean, Southeastern United States , , , , , , , - , Unnamed , , September
1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 � ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , August
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , September
1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , August
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , August, September
1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , September 1933 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , August 1935 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , September, October 1935 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , October
1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , September
1941 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January–August – 10,072 men, women and children with mental and physical disabilities are asphyxiated with carbon monoxide in a gas chamber, at Hadamar Eut ...
, , , , , - , Unnamed , , August 1943 , , , , – , - , Unnamed , , October 1944 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , September 1945 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , September 1947 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , September 1948 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , September 1948 , , , , , - , Unnamed , , August 1949 , , , , , -


1950–1974

In the years between 1950 and 1974, there were 23 Category 4
hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depe ...
in the Atlantic Ocean. A denotes that the storm temporarily weakened below Category 4 intensity during the specified period of time.


1975–1999

In the years between 1976 and 1999, 23 Category 4
hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depe ...
formed in the basin:


2000–present

In the years since 2000, 36 Category 4
hurricanes A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depe ...
formed within the confines of the Atlantic Ocean. A denotes that the storm temporarily weakened below Category 4 intensity during the specified period of time.


Number by month

DateFormat=yyyy ImageSize= width:350 height:auto barincrement:35 Period = from:0 till:55 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:10 left:5 bottom:50 top:5 Colors= id:cat5red value:rgb(1,0.2,0.2) id:minorline value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:line value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:M bar:Jul from:0 till:1 color:cat5red text:"July" bar:Aug from:0 till:39 color:cat5red text:"August" bar:Sep from:0 till:52 color:cat5red text:"September" bar:Oct from:0 till:47 color:cat5red text:"October" bar:Nov from:0 till:5 color:cat5red text:"November" ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:5 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:minorline unit:year increment:1 start:0 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(100,25) # tabs:(100-left) text:"Storms to reach category 4 strength"


Landfalls

The following hurricanes made
landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...
at some location at any strength. Due to inaccuracies in data, tropical depression landfalls are not included. Category 5 hurricanes are also not included in the table below. Several of these storms weakened slightly after attaining Category 4 status as they approached land; this is usually a result of dry air, shallower water due to shelving, cooler waters, or interaction with land.


See also

*
Atlantic hurricane season The Atlantic hurricane season is the period in a year from June through November when tropical cyclones form in the Atlantic Ocean, referred to in North American countries as hurricanes, tropical storms, or tropical depressions. In addition ...
* Lists of Atlantic hurricanes * List of Category 3 Atlantic hurricanes * List of Category 4 Pacific hurricanes * List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes * List of Category 5 Pacific hurricanes


References

{{Tropical cyclones by intensity Category 4 Atlantic 4