The category is only based on maximum sustained winds. (climatesignals.org)
The Virgin Islands are now bracing for Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. (yahoo.com)
Maria's eye assaulted the town of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, on Wednesday with maximum sustained winds of nearly 250 kilometers per hour (155 miles per hour)-- the high end of category 4 — making it the strongest storm to hit the island since the San Ciprian Hurricane of 1932. (scientificamerican.com)