Strong winds are the most common means of destruction associated with hurricanes. Their sometimes continuous barrage can uproot trees, knock over buildings and homes, fling potentially deadly debris around, sink or ground boats, and flip cars.
The intensity of a tropical cyclone is measured by the highest sustained wind speed found within it. Once it becomes a hurricane, the relative strength of that hurricane is also measured on a scale based on its greatest wind speed. This scale is named the Saffir-Simpson scale for the men who invented it. The scale is listed below.