List of Category 4 Atlantic Hurricanes

List Of Category 4 Atlantic Hurricanes

Category 4 hurricanes are tropical cyclones that reach Category 4 intensity on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. 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 Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. 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 winds of 113–136 knots (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h). Based on the Atlantic hurricane database, 95 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, which was a Category 4 storm, brought on a 24 ft storm surge, the third greatest storm surge ever recorded (after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Camille, respectively). It also had the highest recorded Integrated Kinetic Energy of any Atlantic tropical cyclone, making Hurricane Ike the most powerful hurricane to attain Category 4 status in the Atlantic basin.