Climate scientists are proposing adding a sixth category to describe the most powerful and life-threatening hurricanes as storms continue to strengthen.
A Category 6 hypothesis would apply to storms with wind speeds above 192 miles per hour. Under current standards, storms with winds of 157 miles per hour or higher are considered Category 5.
But Michael F. Wehner, a climate scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, and James P. Kossin, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration climate and hurricane researcher, say the current open-ended Saffir-Simpson model is “inadequate” and could lead residents to look low of the most dangerous storm.
“We found that several recent storms have reached this hypothetical Category 6 intensity, and based on several independent lines of evidence examining simulations of the highest and potential peak wind speeds, more such storms are projected as the climate continues to warm,” they wrote.
There have been five hurricanes — all in the Pacific Ocean — that have reached wind speeds of 192 miles per hour since 2013, according to their study.
A Category 6 hypothesis would apply to storms with wind speeds above 192 miles per hour. Under current standards, a storm with winds of 157 miles per hour or higher is considered a Category 5. AFP via Getty Images
“There’s nothing in the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico yet, but they have conditions conducive to a Category 6, just not there yet,” Wehner told the Associated Press. “I hope it never happens, but it’s a roll of the dice.”
“We know that this storm has gotten stronger and will continue to do so.”
But other experts don’t believe another category is necessary — and may even give people the wrong impression, since the categories are based only on wind speed and not rainfall amounts.
Five hurricanes in the Pacific Ocean have reached wind speeds of 192 miles per hour. ZUMAPRESS.com
University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy notes that climate change is not causing more storms, but rather increasing storms and increasing the proportion that qualify as major hurricanes.
Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the National Hurricane Center, also noted that his office is trying to focus more on individual hazards — including storm surge, wind, rain, tornadoes and rip currents — rather than just wind speed.
He added that Category 5 already suggested “catastrophic damage” from wind, so adding another category was unnecessary.
Other experts think it’s more important to focus on the individual risks of each storm rather than categories. CAROLINE BREHMAN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
And Jeff Masters, a hurricane scientist who also worked for NOAA, said: “If a Cat. 6 is coming your way, I don’t know if it will change the way you prepare.
“You’re going to move either way. Or you’re stupid,” he told the Tampa Bay Times.
With Postal wire
Categories: Trending
Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
