Category of Hurricanes and tropical storms

[stormy]

OK I know this has been explained before, but this is my dumb blonde question of the day. Could you explain when a storm becomes a tropical storm and when a tropical storm becomes a Hurricane. and the different categories. Thanks in advance.

[jfranklin]

Check out http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshs.shtml for a description of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale categories. A tropical cyclone is classified as a depression, storm, or hurricane on the basis of its maximum sustained winds. Less than 34 kt (39 mph) is a depression, from 34-63 kt (39-73 mph) is a storm, and higher is a hurricane.