Hurricane Milton’s ‘Category 6 Storm’ Rumors Explained

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As a seasoned gamer who has weathered numerous virtual storms and apocalyptic scenarios, I can confidently say that Hurricane Milton is no game. The relentless intensity of this hurricane, which has rapidly escalated from a Category 1 to a potential “Category 6,” has left me in awe, if not slightly terrified.

Many locals are questioning if Hurricane Milton might escalate into an extraordinarily powerful Category 6 storm. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) classified Milton as a deadly Category 5 at noon on Monday, October 7, surpassing the predictions made by meteorologists over the weekend, as the storm intensified more rapidly in the Gulf than anticipated. In just 18 hours, Milton transformed from a Category 1 to a Category 5 storm.

Could Hurricane Milton reach ‘Category 6’?

In reality, no hurricane can be classified as a Category 6 since this category doesn’t exist on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHS). Yet, considering how the scale is structured, it appears that Hurricane Milton might have attained a strength equivalent to a hypothetical Category 6 hurricane.

According to ABC News, the classifications for hurricanes are typically separated by approximately 20 miles per hour. A Category 5 hurricane is officially identified when it sustains winds exceeding 157 mph. If a hypothetical Category 6 existed, its winds would be faster than 175 or 180 mph. At 1:36 PM ET, the NHC announced on X (previously Twitter) that Hurricane Milton had rapidly intensified to 175 mph winds. Later at 5:16 pm ET, storm chaser Colin McCarthy reported on X that the hurricane had reached wind speeds of 180 mph. These readings suggest that Hurricane Milton might fall into the proposed range for a “Category 6” hurricane.

Some other climate researchers advocate for the addition of a “Category 6” in the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale (SSHS), as the current system is increasingly deemed outdated. As stated by climatologist Michael Mann in an article published in The Guardian in 2018, such a change would more accurately represent the strength of storms reaching 200 mph and effectively communicate the understanding that climate change is amplifying the power of the strongest storms.

Additionally, Mann notes that the SSHS model, established in 1971, suggests that a category five hurricane can cause almost complete annihilation of human infrastructure. However, over the past half-century, construction methods have significantly improved, leading him to propose that the concept of a “Category 6” could be reasonable.

A research paper in 2024 similarly proposes a “Category 6” to have over 192 mph winds. It notes that a number of recent storms “have already reached [its] hypothetical category 6 wind speeds,” which includes Hurricane Patricia in 2015 and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

In addition, Jeff Masters, who used to work as a Hurricane Hunter for NOAA and wrote an editorial in Scientific American in 2019, suggested the introduction of not only Category 6 but also Category 7 hurricanes. As indicated by the graph above, he proposes that a Category 7 hurricane would have winds exceeding 210 mph. He believes this new classification is necessary to highlight the growing number of extremely intense and devastating hurricanes we may encounter more frequently in the coming years.

Originally reported by Nicholas Tan on Mandatory

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2024-10-10 17:11