Hurricanes are getting so strong in a warming world that a Category 6 intensity should be added to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind scale, a new study finds.
Why it matters: The research shows how significantly climate change is altering storm intensity and other characteristics, as well as further underscoring the limitations of the scale.
Reality check: The paper, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, does not represent an official move by the National Hurricane Center to add another hurricane category.
I mean, I was making a Spinal Tap joke, but it’s not like all scientists wrote down was category labels, they have exact speeds and lots of data.
We could easily apply the updated standard to past records.
Honestly, I don’t see why we don’t just have an open ended scale instead. 1-5 barely makes sense for app ratings, let alone something as complex as a hurricane.