Escalating Hurricane Intensity Demands Consideration for Additional Classification, Warns Expert
Hang on, my friend! The damn hurricane season is here and it's making people sweat! With temperatures still soaring in the ocean and Pacific conditions perfect for storms, experts expect this season to be as fierce as ever.
But here's the kicker – it's not just about this year. Climate change is making tropical cyclones go from bad to worse! Hurricanes are becoming wetter, stronger, and some experts say that we may need a whole new category to classify them!
Wait a minute, you say Category 6? Yup, you read that right! A few top-notch scientists are arguing that our current system for categorizing hurricanes, based on the Saffir-Simpson scale, is no longer enough. With storms going beyond the designated Category 5 limits, it's becoming misleading to call them that!
So, what's the deal with categorizing hurricanes, anyhow? The Saffir-Simpson scale classifies hurricanes based on sustained wind speed.
- Category 1: 74-95 mph (119-153 km/h). Destructive winds.
- Category 2: 96-110 mph (154-177 km/h). Extremely dangerous.
- Category 3: 111-129 mph (178-208 km/h). Devastating.
- Category 4: 130-156 mph (209-251 km/h). Catastrophic.
- Category 5: 157 mph or higher (252 km/h or higher). Catastrophic.
But here's the thing – climate change is demanding more power from the storms that lash our coasts. Hurricane Patricia in 2015 had winds reaching 215 mph, while Dorian in 2019 hovered over the Bahamas with sustained winds around 185 mph! Meanwhile, Typhoon Haiyan, which indicated the arrival of the next-gen storms, slammed into the Philippines with sustained winds of 195 mph and gusts up to 220 mph in 2013!
These aren't the kind of storms we're used to!
Now, let's dissect how climate change affects hurricanes. Contrary to what you might think, warming temperatures don't mean that we'll be bombarded with more hurricanes. The reason why is that as the atmosphere warms up, the upper atmosphere heats up faster, making it more resistant to vertical motion, what hurricanes require to start. This means fewer hurricanes may form, but the ones that do will be a hell of a ride!
Rising sea levels don't help either, as storms of the same strength can now push further inland, causing widespread damage. It's a reality we can't ignore.
So, should we create a new category? With high winds causing huge damage, it's becoming clear that our current five-level classification may not be enough to provide meaningful insights. The wide range within Category 5 can be misleading, and even small changes in wind speeds can lead to catastrophic damage, especially if structures aren't built to withstand more.
"It's like trying to take a hot air balloon up when the atmosphere is warmer than your burner is making the inside of your balloon," says Dr Tom Matthews, a senior lecturer in environmental geography at King's College London.
In essence, the strongest storms on Earth are getting stronger, and the scale we've long used to measure them may no longer meet the standards. Brace yourselves, as we stand on the cusp of entering the era of mega-hurricanes.
Read more:
- Brutal hurricanes might become the norm for the US. But what does that mean?
- Why are hurricanes getting deadlier and unpredictable? Scientists are worried.
- Warning! Mega-hurricanes are the future. Here's what it means.
About our expert
Tom Matthews is a senior lecturer in environmental geography at King's College London in the UK. He specializes in extreme weather events, with a focus on severe extra-tropical cyclones and compound events. In mountainous regions, including the Himalayas, he co-led the installation of the highest altitude weather stations in the world on Mt. Everest. Matthews is also a leader in studying extreme humid heat events and their drivers, as well as changes under climate warming.
- As nature's wrath grows, concerns about the future of our planet are escalating, with scientists delving into environmental-science and climate-change research to predict and mitigate catastrophic weather events like hurricanes.
- The changing earth is not merely impacting this year's hurricane season; long-term trends in climate change are causing tropical cyclones to intensify, with some storms breaching the limits of the current Category 5 classification.
- The climatic transformation has made hurricanes wetter, stronger, and potentially necessitates a sixth category for classification, as the Saffir-Simpson scale may no longer provide accurate representations of these mega-hurricanes that are becoming a reality.
- In the face of these daunting changes, researchers in the field of science are proposing to reevaluate the current hurricane classification system to provide a more informative perspective on the growing threats posed by climate-change induced weather patterns.
- Dr. Tom Matthews, an expert in environmental geography and severe weather events, compares the situation to trying to launch a hot air balloon higher when the warming atmosphere resists vertical motion needed for hurricanes to start.
- Rising sea levels, coupled with these intensified storms, present an ever-growing challenge for future generations, necessitating urgency and innovation in our approach to combatting climate-change and its potentially devastating consequences.
