Scientists Propose New Category 6 for Hurricanes

Two scientists suggested in a new study that the traditional five-category Saffir-Simpson scale may not show the true power of the strongest storms, proposing a sixth category for stronger storms to communicate that climate change has caused the winds to become significantly higher.

The present Category 5 hurricane warning cover winds 157 mph or higher, but the study references storms with winds up to 197 mph. Since 2013, five storms – all in the Pacific – had winds of 192 mph or higher that would have put them in the new category. To date, no Atlantic storm has reached the 192 mph-potential threshold.

The deputy director of the National Hurricane Center is quoted as stating that Category 5 already captures catastrophic damage from wind so it’s not clear there would be a need for another category even if the storms were to get stronger.