With Hurricane Milton's winds surpassing 180 mph on Monday and the storm already being classified as the second-strongest Gulf hurricane in recorded history, internet chatter is suggesting that the hurricane might reach intensity to top Category 5, the highest designation on the Saffir–Simpson scale. But amid the speculation, one meteorologist is speaking out to explain why this isn't actually possible, at least right now.
Lansing, MI-based meteorologist Katie Nickolaou, who goes by Weather Katie on her popular TikTok account, posted a video to social media this week to debunk the suggestion that hurricanes will ever reach a Category 6.
"There will never be a Category 6 with our current system," Nickolaou said in the clip, posted on Sunday ahead of Milton's impending landfall. "It is physically impossible."
"This is the Saffir–Simpson scale and it's what we use to rank hurricanes," she continued, referring to a graphic. "And a Category 5 has wind speeds of 157 miles per hour, plus. See that little 'plus' right there? That covers everything from 157 miles per hour to infinity! That's why we can't have a Category 6 hurricane, it is literally not built into our system."
Nickolaou pointed out that we've already seen hurricanes with winds up to 185 mph or higher, but were still classified as Category 5 storms because Category 6 doesn't exist. "If anyone says we do, then they're just using you to get clicks, engagement, and/or money," she added.
There will never be a Category 6 hurricane
— Meteorologist Katie Nickolaou (@weather_katie) October 6, 2024
You can't top total destruction
So please, stop spreading misinformation ???? pic.twitter.com/dC7rZabXBP
Yet, that being said, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal earlier this year did indeed suggest that as climate change is producing more powerful storms, a Category 6 may eventually be needed to classify hurricanes with sustained winds greater than 192 mph.
"A number of recent storms have already achieved this hypothetical Category 6 intensity," the study's authors wrote. "And based on multiple independent lines of evidence examining the highest simulated and potential peak wind speeds, more such storms are projected as the climate continues to warm."
At any rate, there's currently no protocols in place that would cause Milton to be upgraded to a Category 6, so it remains to be seen whether the scale will ultimately get an overhaul.
