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.
There’s also danger in new places getting hit. Superstorm Sandy was equivalent to a category 1 by wind speed when it hit NYC. It wouldn’t have been a big deal in a place where the trees evolved to survive hurricanes and there’s no underground infrastructure to flood but it was a massive deal for NYC.