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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Oliver Milman

BIZARRE: Hurricanes becoming so strong that new category needed study says - You Need To See This

A view of Hurricane Patricia from the International Space Station.
Hurricane Patricia, which reached a top speed of 215mph in 2015 – far beyond the speed of 157mph at which a hurricane is classed as category 5. Photograph: Scott Kelly/EPA

Hurricanes are becoming so strong due to the climate crisis that the classification of them should be expanded to include a “category 6” storm, furthering the scale from the standard 1 to 5, according to a new study.

Over the past decade, five storms would have been classed at this new category 6 strength, researchers said, which would include all hurricanes with sustained winds of 192mph or more. Such mega-hurricanes are becoming more likely due to global heating, studies have found, due to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere.

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