Editing Saffir–Simpson scale (section)

==Criticism==
Some scientists, including [[Kerry Emanuel]] and Lakshmi Kantha, have criticized the scale as being too simplistic, namely that the scale takes into account neither the physical size of a storm nor the amount of [[precipitation]] it produces.<ref name="LiveScience"/> They and others point out that the Saffir–Simpson scale, unlike the [[moment magnitude scale]] used to measure [[earthquakes]], is not continuous, and is [[Quantization (signal processing)|quantized]] into a small number of categories. Proposed replacement classifications include the Hurricane Intensity Index, which is based on the [[dynamic pressure]] caused by a storm's winds, and the Hurricane Hazard Index, which is based on surface wind speeds, the [[radius of maximum wind]]s of the storm, and its [[Translation (geometry)|translational]] velocity.<ref name="Kantha HHI HII">{{cite journal | author = Kantha, L. | date = January 2006 | title = Time to Replace the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale? | journal = [[Eos (magazine)|Eos]] | volume = 87 | issue = 1 | pages = 3, 6 | doi = 10.1029/2006eo010003 | bibcode = 2006EOSTr..87....3K | doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="Kantha BAMS">{{cite journal|last=Kantha|first=Lakshmi|date=February 2008|title=Tropical Cyclone Destructive Potential by Integrated Kinetic Energy|journal=[[Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society]]|volume=89|issue=2|pages=219–221|doi=10.1175/BAMS-89-2-219|bibcode = 2008BAMS...89..219K |citeseerx=10.1.1.693.5083}}</ref> Both of these scales are continuous, akin to the Richter scale.<ref name="UCL alternates">{{cite web | author = Benfield Hazard Research Centre | publisher = [[University College London]] | title = Atmospheric Hazards | work = Hazard & Risk Science Review 2006 | url = http://www.benfieldhrc.org/activities/hrsr/h&rsr_2006/atmospheric.htm | year = 2006 | access-date = December 8, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080807165607/http://www.benfieldhrc.org/activities/hrsr/h%26rsr_2006/atmospheric.htm | archive-date = August 7, 2008 | url-status = dead | df = dmy-all }}</ref> However, neither of these scales has been used by officials.{{cn|date=February 2021}}

===Proposed extensions===
After the series of powerful storm systems of the [[2005 Atlantic hurricane season]], as well as after [[Hurricane Patricia]], a few newspaper columnists and scientists brought up the suggestion of introducing Category&nbsp;6. They have suggested pegging Category&nbsp;6 to storms with winds greater than {{convert|174|or|180|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name="LiveScience">{{cite news|author = Ker Than|title = Wilma's Rage Suggests New Hurricane Categories Needed|work= [[LiveScience]]|date = October 20, 2005|url = http://www.livescience.com/environment/051020_hurricane_winds.html|access-date = October 20, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | author=Bill Blakemore | title=Category&nbsp;6 Hurricanes? They've Happened: Global Warming Winds Up Hurricane Scientists as NOAA Issues Its Atlantic Hurricane Predictions for Summer 2006 | publisher=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] | date=May 21, 2006 | url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/Science/story?id=1986862&page=1 | access-date=September 10, 2006}}</ref> Fresh calls were made for consideration of the issue after [[Hurricane Irma]] in 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-scientists-mull-category-six-storm-classification-report-says/ |title=Climate scientists mull Category&nbsp;6 storm classification, report says |publisher=ABC News|date=February 22, 2018}}</ref> which was the subject of a number of seemingly credible false news reports as a "Category&nbsp;6" storm,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/850253/Hurricane-Irma-NOAA-hurricane-category-6-Irma-path |title=Hurricane Irma: Will Irma become world's first CATEGORY 6 hurricane with 200mph winds? |newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=September 5, 2017}}</ref> partly in consequence of so many local politicians using the term. Only a few storms of this intensity have been recorded. 

Of the 42&nbsp;hurricanes currently considered to have attained Category&nbsp;5 status in the Atlantic, 19 had wind speeds at {{convert|175|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on}} or greater. Only 9 had wind speeds at {{convert|180|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} or greater (the [[1935 Labor Day hurricane]], [[Hurricane Allen|Allen]], [[Hurricane Gilbert|Gilbert]], [[Hurricane Mitch|Mitch]], [[Hurricane Rita|Rita]], [[Hurricane Wilma|Wilma]], [[Hurricane Irma|Irma]], [[Hurricane Dorian|Dorian]], and [[Hurricane Milton|Milton]]). Of the 21&nbsp;hurricanes currently considered to have attained Category&nbsp;5 status in the eastern Pacific, only 5 had wind speeds at {{convert|175|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on}} or greater ([[1959 Pacific hurricane season#Hurricane Patsy|Patsy]], [[Hurricane John (1994)|John]], [[Hurricane Linda (1997)|Linda]], [[Hurricane Rick (2009)|Rick]], and [[Hurricane Patricia|Patricia]]). Only 3 had wind speeds at {{convert|180|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on|sigfig=3}} or greater (Linda, Rick, and Patricia). 

Most storms which would be eligible for this category were [[typhoon]]s in the western Pacific, most notably typhoons [[Typhoon Tip|Tip]],  [[Typhoon Halong (2019)|Halong]], [[Typhoon Mawar|Mawar]], and [[Typhoon Bolaven (2023)|Bolaven]] in 1979, 2019, 2023 and 2023 respectively, each with sustained winds of {{convert|190|mph|km/h|abbr=on|round=5}},<ref>{{cite web |author=Debi Iacovelli and Tim Vasquez |year=1998 |title=Supertyphoon Tip: Shattering all records |work=Monthly Weather Log |access-date=September 19, 2010 |url=http://www.vos.noaa.gov/MWL/aug1998.pdf |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}}</ref> and typhoons [[Typhoon Haiyan|Haiyan]], [[Typhoon Meranti|Meranti]], [[Typhoon Goni|Goni]], and [[Typhoon Surigae|Surigae]] in 2013, 2016, 2020 and 2021 respectively, each with sustained winds of {{convert|195|mph|km/h|abbr=on|round=5}}. 

Occasionally, suggestions of using even higher wind speeds as the cutoff have been made. In a newspaper article published in November 2018, [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]] research scientist Jim Kossin said that the potential for more intense hurricanes was increasing as the [[Climate change|climate warmed]], and suggested that Category&nbsp;6 would begin at {{Convert|195|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on|round=5}}, with a further hypothetical Category&nbsp;7 beginning at {{Convert|230|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on|round=5}}.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.tampabay.com/weather/category-6-scientists-warn-hurricanes-could-keep-getting-stronger-20181130/|title=Category 6? Scientists warn hurricanes could keep getting stronger|date=2018-11-30|work=Tampa Bay Times|access-date=2018-11-30|language=en}}</ref> In 2024 another proposal to add "Category&nbsp;6" was made, with a minimum wind speed of  {{convert|192|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}, with risk factors such as the [[effects of climate change]] and warming ocean temperatures part of that research.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.2308901121|title=The growing inadequacy of an open-ended Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale in a warming world|work=PNAS|date=2024 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2308901121 |access-date=February 5, 2024 |last1=Wehner |first1=Michael F. |last2=Kossin |first2=James P. |volume=121 |issue=7 }}</ref> In the NHC area of responsibility, only Patricia had winds greater than {{convert|190|mph|m/s kn km/h|abbr=on|round=5}}.

According to Robert Simpson, co-creator of the scale, there are no reasons for a Category&nbsp;6 on the Saffir–Simpson scale because it is designed to measure the potential damage of a hurricane to human-made structures. Simpson explained that "...&nbsp;when you get up into winds in excess of {{convert|155|mph|km/h|abbr=on}} you have enough damage if that extreme wind sustains itself for as much as six seconds on a building it's going to cause rupturing damages that are serious no matter how well it's engineered."<ref name="Simpson interview">{{cite news |author=Debi Iacovelli |title=The Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale: An Interview with Dr. Robert Simpson |newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel]] |location=Fort Lauderdale, FL |date=July 2001 |url=http://www.novalynx.com/simpson-interview.html |access-date=September 10, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091023063932/http://www.novalynx.com/simpson-interview.html |archive-date=October 23, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Nonetheless, the counties of [[Broward County, Florida|Broward]] and [[Miami-Dade County, Florida|Miami-Dade]] in Florida have building codes which require that critical infrastructure buildings be able to withstand Category&nbsp;5 winds.<ref name="Irma could test strength of Florida's strict building codes">{{cite news |author=Jennifer Kay |title=Irma could test strength of Florida's strict building codes |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |location=Washington, DC |date=September 2017 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/irma-could-test-strength-of-floridas-strict-building-codes/2017/09/07/cc82f8f4-9413-11e7-8482-8dc9a7af29f9_story.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170917033507/https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/irma-could-test-strength-of-floridas-strict-building-codes/2017/09/07/cc82f8f4-9413-11e7-8482-8dc9a7af29f9_story.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2017-09-17 |access-date=September 16, 2017}}</ref>