Scientists suggest adding a Category 6 to the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale due to increasingly intense storms.
Scott Dance reports for The Washington Post.
In short:
- The proposed Category 6 would apply to tropical cyclones with winds exceeding 192 mph.
- This change reflects the growing intensity of hurricanes, with five surpassing this threshold since 2013.
- The Saffir-Simpson scale, created in the 1970s, currently caps at Category 5, indicating the highest level of hurricane severity.
Key quote:
“Climate change has demonstrably made the strongest storms stronger."
— Michael Wehner, senior scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Why this matters:
The potential introduction of a Category 6 hurricane level underscores the escalating severity of storms, a trend with profound implications for public safety and environmental policy.
