Stronger storms mean new 'category six' scale may be needed
The increasing strength, intensity and duration of tropical cyclones has climate scientists questioning whether a new classification needs to be created: a category-six storm.
The Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale currently runs in severity from one to five, with five describing near-total destruction.
But climate scientists meeting at a conference in the New Zealand city of Wellington have floated the idea of creating a category six to reflect the increasing severity of tropical cyclones in the wake of warming sea temperatures and climate change.
photo credit: Anthony Quintano