Hurricane Ike (2008) scored 87/100 on the Destructive Power Score scale — a Catastrophic event.

Saffir-Simpson rated this a Category 4 based on peak wind alone. DPS combines intensity with storm size, surge potential, duration of coastal exposure, and geographic reach for a fuller picture of destructive potential.

Ike made Texas landfall as a Category 2 hurricane and ranks among the costliest US storms on record. The mismatch is the canonical case for replacing Saffir-Simpson: Ike's landfall winds were modest, but the tropical-storm-force wind field extended 275 nautical miles from the center — roughly three times the width of Hurricane Charley (Category 4, 2004). Integrated Kinetic Energy was 190 TJ versus Charley's ~12. The storm surge across the upper Texas coast reached Category 4 equivalents (peak ~17 feet at Galveston Bay), inundating the Bolivar Peninsula and killing 195 people. The 87 DPS captures what wind speed alone misses — Ike was a Cat 4 in every variable except the one Saffir-Simpson measures.

Landfall: Cuba / Jamaica, Texas (2 landfalls).