Is it time for a Category 6 for super cyclones? No—warnings of floods or storm surges are more useful
Hurricane Patricia in 2015 was the most intense storm ever recorded in the Americas. But do we need a new scale? Credit: Scott Kelly/NASA/EPA
When a tropical cyclone forms, people who live in its path anxiously monitor news of its direction—and strength. If a Category 5 storm with wind speeds of 250 kilometers per hour is heading for you, you prepare differently than you would for a Category 1 with wind speeds of 65 km/h.…