Tropical Storm Francine: What is the highest category hurricane?

Tracking Tropical Storm Francine

All eyes are on Tropical Storm Francine in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm is expected to become a hurricane on Wednesday before making landfall. Where will it hit and what kind of impact will we see in southeast Texas? FOX 26's MIke Iscovitz breaks it down on Forecasting with Friends.

Tropical Storm Francine is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before making landfall in Louisiana.

The storm is expected to reach sustained winds of 100 miles per hour, making it a Category 1 hurricane.

The category rating comes from the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which ranks a hurricane 1-5 based on its sustained wind speed. On the scale, a 5 is the highest.

A hurricane is considered Category 1 if it has sustained winds between 74 and 95 miles per hour and a Category 2 is from 96 to 110 miles per hour.

Hurricanes are not considered to be "major hurricanes" until they reach Category 3, but Category 1 and 2 hurricanes are still very serious and have led to devastation in the past.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall in Texas earlier this year as a Category 1.

The National Weather Service says the winds from a Category 1 hurricane could damage roofs and cause branches of trees to snap and cause some shallow-rooted trees to fall.

Hurricane Ida, which hit Louisiana in 2021, was a Category 4. Hurricane Katrina was a Category 3 hurricane when in made landfall along the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005.