A jurisdiction has high hurricane wind risk if it is within the hurricane prone region defined in the 2021 IBC, Ch. 2, as: (1) the U.S. Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts where the basic wind speed, V, for Risk Category II buildings is greater than 115 mph; and (2) Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands and American Samoa, and in the 2021 IRC, Ch. 2, as: areas vulnerable to hurricanes, defined as the U.S. Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico coasts where the ultimate design wind speed, Vult, is greater than 115 mph, and Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
A jurisdiction also has high hurricane risk if it is located within the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), due to its typhoon history and its proximity to Guam.