close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

    • Do Category 6 Hurricanes Exist? What to know as Hurricane Milton gains strength.
    news

    Do Category 6 Hurricanes Exist? What to know as Hurricane Milton gains strength.

    Vaseline Posted on

    Topline

    Hurricane Milton – the Atlantic storm expected to be “one of the most destructive hurricanes ever to hit west-central Florida” – vacillated between the two most intense hurricane classifications in the lead-up to expected landfall and sparked debate over the introduction of a category 6 distinction as climate change intensifies extreme weather events.

    Key facts

    Milton, which is expected to make landfall Wednesday evening, was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane Tuesday morning.

    The hurricane recorded sustained winds of 185 miles per hour on Monday, which for a time led it to be classified as a Category 5 storm — the highest possible distinction.

    Descriptions of the storm’s rapid intensification and destructive potential have revived debate on social media over whether a sixth category should be introduced to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale used by the National Hurricane Center, which storms up to category 5 based on their sustained winds. speed (Cat 5 storms have winds at or above 155 mph).

    Earlier this year, a pair of researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Space Science and Engineering Center argued that intensifying climate change impacts could soon force the addition of a sixth hurricane category to describe storms with winds above 185 mph .

    Scientists Michael Wehner and James Kossin argued that the openness of the current wind scale has become “increasingly problematic for conveying wind risk in a warming world” and warned that intense storms are likely to become more common as climate change worsens.

    The National Hurricane Center said in February that it has no plans to add a Category 6 to the hurricane scale, and Jon Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, said there is no evidence that adding an additional category “will improve preparation or decisions would improve’.

    Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We’re launching SMS alerts so you’re always up to date on the top stories shaping the day’s headlines. Text “Alerts” to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here.

    Surprising fact

    Even if Category 6 storms existed, Milton would not have been one of them. The storm’s highest maximum sustained wind speed was 180 degrees Monday evening, 12 miles per hour less than the 192 needed to upgrade the storm under the researchers’ proposal.

    Big number

    5. That’s the number of storms that could have been classified as Category 6 between 1980 and 2021, meaning they exceeded maximum sustained wind speeds of 186 mph. Of those, only one threatened North America. Hurricane Patricia made landfall in Mexico in 2015 as a category 4 hurricane and became the strongest storm ever recorded in the Western Hemisphere with wind speeds of 350 km per hour. The other four storms all occurred in the western Pacific Ocean.

    Important background

    Climate change has not led to a marked difference in the number of hurricanes that strike the United States each year, but has been blamed for intensifying those that do form. Higher temperatures cause more intense evaporation, allowing storms traveling over warm oceans to attract more water vapor and heat, leading to more rainfall and stronger winds. Additionally, sea level rise amplifies storm surge, pushing more water further inland during hurricanes. Still, Category 5 hurricanes are somewhat rare. Only 42 tropical cyclones have reached Category 5 status since 1924, CBS News reported. Eighteen of these have been created since 2003.

    Tangent

    Hurricane Milton will move across Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula on Tuesday before crossing the eastern Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to reach the west coast of Florida on Wednesday evening. Milton is expected to continue to fluctuate in strength over the coming days as it moves over the Gulf of Mexico and will likely weaken slightly before hitting Florida, but the National Hurricane Center warns: “There is high confidence that Milton will be an extremely dangerous country will remain.” hurricane when it reaches the state.” Milton will hit Florida just two weeks after Hurricane Helene did, before moving on to cause catastrophic flooding in parts of the southeastern US. Helene’s impacts moved further inland than expected and devastated western North Carolina and parts of eastern Tennessee. More than 220 people died from Helene’s effects, and hundreds more are still missing.

    Read more

    ForbesHurricane Milton now ‘extremely dangerous category 4’ heading towards Florida: here’s what you need to knowBy means of Sarah DornForbesGovernment forecasters are issuing the worst hurricane season forecasts in their history – here’s whyBy means of Brian BushardForbesTrump FEMA claim debunked: Agency won’t run out of money because of migrantsBy means of Alison DurkeeForbesMarjorie Taylor Greene appears to argue Democrats ‘control the weather’ – after Hurricane Helene hits southeastBy means of Ty Roush

    Vaseline
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like