New Category 6 being pondered in light of recent events

[jasons2k]

One of the best quotes from the article:

"Every hurricane is different," Saffir said today, "so you really couldn't categorize every type of hurricane as far as size and extent. As far as rainfall goes, we already have a scale for rainfall; it's measured in inches and I think that's really all that's needed."

[otowntiger]

Don't be silly. There is no need for a cat 6, come on! This unusual season notwithstanding, cat 5's are very rare. Even the cat 5's we've had this year don't last much longer than a few hours nor have they ever gotten much above the minimal cat 5 level. Splitting that fine line into another category, just doesn't make any sense at all to me. It's just another way for people who love to overhype things get more excited.

[dhweather]

It needs to be OR instead of AND, and the current scale will work just fine.

>155 OR 18+ foot surge = cat 5

and so on.

It's that easy.

[flair]

No need for Cat. 6, honestly. Some people downplay even Cat. 4's ("WOW KATRINA IS NOT A 5 ANYMORE, NEW ORLEANS IS SAVED!")...

Reminds me of the reporter (I'm not naming him) who was on the afternoon and evening after Katrina hit claiming that New Orleans had dodged a bullet, just hours before the city went underwater.

You make a very good point in that people would distort and abuse any re-classification of hurricanes. The mainstream media thrive on sensationalism and are generally ignorant when it comes to the weather. That's why I like these press briefings that Max Mayfield is having. He can say what is on the NHC's mind without things getting all twisted around.

[wxman57]

Saffir-Simpson scale doesn't need another category because when it gets as strong as a 5 it will destroy everything anyway. Correct me if I'm wrong but the saffir-simpson scale is based on how much damage will occur, right?, once you reach the 5 level the damage potential is such where almost no structure can stand up to it, whether its a 160mph Cat. 5 or 190mph Cat. 5.

No, Saffir-Simpson is based upon one thing, alone - sustained 1-minute wind speed. It is not a damage scale like the Fujita scale. That said, the NHC has attached certain damage examples to each category to give the general public an idea what to expect from each category hurricane.

[soonertwister]

In a strong F5 tornado, your house isn't wrecked, it's totally gone. Doesn't matter if it's well-built, if it isn't reinforced concrete or thick steel, it's sayonara baby. Not even the plumbing pipes remain, just nothing if it's on a slab or not.

That's only because an F5 tornado can have winds exceeding 300 miles per hour. It's very brief, usually not more than 30 seconds or a minute, but at that speed it doesn't matter.

A category 5 hurricane can effect much of the same damage because the winds are sustained for a much longer period of time, and on top of that can produce catastrophic storm surge and large tornado outbreaks, over a vastly wider area than any tornado can affect.

Either one is your worst nightmare, and we should keep it that way. That number 5 is a special one in weather intensity lexicon.