Two scientists have proposed adding category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale currently with five categories based on a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speeds. “The creation of Category 6 designation is to identify the monsters that may come.” The two scientists coming up with the idea say that climate change has been linked to stronger storms and “[s]torm intensities well above the category-5 threshold are being realized, and record wind speeds will likely continue to be broken as the planet continues to warm.” Their motivation was “to reconsider how the open-endedness of the scale can lead to an underestimation of risk, and, in particular, how this underestimation becomes increasingly problematic in a warming world.” They identify a Category 6 hurricane as having sustained winds of more than 192 mph. Their research revealed “five storms in the last decade that would have exceeded that threshold, two of which hit the Philippines, including the devastating 2013 Typhoon Haiyan.”
There will probably be much debate on modifying the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, but the scientists said their paper was meant “to present a hypothetical shift that could lead to more discussion about better warning the public when a monster storm is heading its way.”
I am certain there will be more discussion on this, but this article surely grabbed my attention. Having lived through Hurricane Andrew in Miami and having a recorded maximum wind speed of 167 m.p.h. only one-half mile from my house, I cannot fathom wind speeds over 192 m.p.h. Food for thought.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/hurricane-category-6-research_n_65c1c428e4b069b665dc8ea1?ncid=APPLENEWS00001
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/earth-planet-76969/
