Hurricane category breakdown

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) - As of 6pm Tuesday, Hurricane Earl is a category four storm. But what exactly does that number mean? Here's a quick breakdown: When it comes to a Hurricane, the lower the category number the better.
The range is 1 through 5. This is a brief look at what COULD happen, at each of the 5 categories.

Category 1
A Category 1 hurricane will bring winds between 74 and 95 miles an hour.
Unanchored mobile homes could be damaged, as could small trees, but there wouldn't be a lot structural damage.

Category 2
With a Category 2, the stakes are higher with winds from 96 to 110 miles an hour.
Windows and roofing would likely take a hit and some trees and street signs would be blown down.
Considerable damage to mobile homes.

Category 3
With winds between 111 and 130 miles an hour, a Category 3 means structural damage to roofing and free standing porches.
Some trees blown down and mobile home owners, should expect extensive damage.

Category 4
At a Category 4, where Earl is as of 6pm Tuesday, winds between 130 and 155 could do major damage to roofing, doors and windows.
Large trees and most street signs would no longer be standing.
If Earl were to make landfall at its current strength(a Cat 4 as of 6p Tues.), it would completely destroy mobile homes.

Category 5
The very rare category 5 hurricane is the worst case scenario.
With winds at 155 miles an hour or stronger, a storm surge bigger than 18 feet above normal could swamp areas that historically, have had only minor flooding.