Florida Could Soon See a Category 6 Hurricane

Hurricane Ian peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph on September 28, 2022. The hurricane weakened slightly to become a high-end Category 4 hurricane with winds of 155 mph as it struck Cayo Costa. Many areas of Southwest Florida were completely devastated by one of the strongest hurricanes to ever hit Florida. A category 5 hurricane is currently the highest-rated storm on the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale. But will they need to revise the scale and add a Category 6 Hurricane?

In a research paper submitted at MIT, with hurricane intensity increasing, they propose a need to expand the scale is needed. The current designation for a Cat 5 hurricane is wind speeds >157 mph. The proposal would be for Category 5 hurricanes to be classified with wind speeds from 157 to 192 mph. As reported by b1039, a new level, the Category 6 hurricane would be wind speeds >192 mph. Do we need this?

Five Category 5 storms exceeded the hypothetical category 6 level in the last 9 years. Hurricane Patricia, the most powerful hurricane on record, occurred in the Eastern Pacific making landfall in Jalisco, Mexico on October 23rd, 2015. Patricia’s highest winds were measured at 215 mph. A fortunate eyewall replacement occurred just before landfall, reducing the storm to a Category 4. The other hypothetical Category 6 storms happened in the Western Pacific. Can this level of intensity happen in the Atlantic, or Gulf Of Mexico?

Hurricane Wilma was close. Wilma struck our Southwest Florida area as a Category 3 storm with 120 mph winds on October 24th, 2005. Before she arrived, Wilma had peak winds of 185 mph. Not enough to hit the proposed threshold to be a Category 6. Earlier that year, Hurricane Rita, which slid just below Florida in September of 2005 had maximum winds of 180 mph. Hurricane Katrina which made the most headlines that year, had a top speed of 174 mph. Many forget that Katrina crossed over Florida before heading to New Orleans.

According to NOAA, “June-August 2023 was also the Northern Hemisphere’s hottest meteorological summer on record.” So last summer was even hotter than the explosive hurricane season of 2005. Since ocean temperatures help fuel these gigantic storms, it’s no stretch to believe that the storms that hit Florida, could hit even harder in the future.

The US National Hurricane Center would be the one to make the changes, however, they’ve not made any announcement thus far. The Saffir–Simpson scale was first introduced in 1973, but with the intensity of some of the storms seen since then, maybe it is time for an update. Lastly, we’ve recently seen the immense damage caused by a category 4 hurricane. Let’s hope Florida never has to witness a Category 6.

It'll be here before you know it. Hurricane season is upon us and if Ian and Helene  taught us anything, it's better to be safe than sorry. Even though Tampa was barely able to avoid the worst of Ian, we still remember people scrambling to get last-minute supplies. Some waited in lines for hours for supplies only to leave empty-handed. Don't let that be you this year! In the case of a major hurricane or even a tropical storm, you should have these 5 things before hurricane season starts.

Experts say it's super important to build a storm kit before any type of disaster. Each kit may look different based on an individual's needs. These are the universal 5 items you shouldn't forget! We found all of these items on Amazon. If you think ahead and order these items now, you should be able to build your storm kit before hurricane season even starts. Anybody can remember to stock up on the essentials (bottled water, food, and batteries) but do you have these useful items in your home in case of a big storm?

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has also listed hurricane safety tips and resources so you and your family can be prepared. When shopping for supplies, you should grab enough items like water, food, and batteries, to be able to last you for at least 1 week. It also seems pretty obvious that every Floridian should own a battery-operated or hand-crank radio. If you ever lose power, at least you can still be kept in the loop with your favorite radio station. And by now, everyone should have a backup portable phone charger.

Remember when everyone was scrambling all over Pinellas and Hillsborough counties looking for sand bags? Most pick-up locations were only allowing people to pick up 2-3 bags per person, which is probably not enough to surround your house/belongings.

If you order these empty sandbags on Amazon now, you should have them by next week. It will make your life a lot easier to just drive to your nearest beach or causeway and fill the bags up that way.

We all know how crappy it is to lose power in the middle of a hurricane. In some cases, you may not know when it will be restored. Amazon has this really cool battery powered camping lantern with a fan for only $20. Reviews say that 1 set of D batteries lasted them over 10 hours.

If you live in Florida and don't have a decent pair of rain boots, now is your time to get a pair. If the thought of gross storm water touching your skin freaks you out, you should grab a pair of these knee high waterproof boots.

It's better to have something and not need it than to need something and not have it, right? Check out this mini water filtration system for just $22 on Amazon.

You don’t want to ruin important documents like social security, state issued ID and birth certificates, prescription medication, copies of insurance documents, to name a few. Bonus if you can convert other important documents to an USB flash drive! You'll want something big enough to hold all of your belongings, but compact enough to carry around in case you have to evacuate. Amazon has a great option, here.

This one may seem obvious, which is why we made it an honorary mention in case it does slip your mind. Remember how bored you were when you lost power from Ian? Some board games, deck of cards, or coloring books should help you pass the time, without killing your phone battery.