Hurricane Milton was just a tropical storm a day ago but it powered up incredibly quickly, forming a hurricane Sunday afternoon and surging up into a dangerous Category 4 hurricane by Monday morning , and not long after it strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane as it crosses the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Forecasters from the National Hurricane Center say some weakening is anticipated before it slams into Florida’s west coast Wednesday. But that kind of rapid intensification is frightening.
If it keeps going, would Category 5 be enough to describe it? Do we need to add a Category 6?
Some experts say yes, but don’t expect to see one any time soon.
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What are the hurricane categories?
According to the NHC , the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Homer Simpson, is a rating of 1 to 5 based on a hurricane’s sustained wind speed and potential for significant loss of life and damage.