Category six hurricane rating proposed as study warns of ‘more intense’ weather caused by climate change
Hurricanes becoming significantly more intense due to climate change requires a new category six classification, a new study has warned.
Currently, the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale measures a hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed.
Introduced in the 1970s by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in the US, it ranges from one to five, the lowest number covering 74-95mph winds and warning of some damage and the highest number predicting “catastrophic” damage with winds measuring 157mph or higher.
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October 2023: Hurricane Otis hits Mexico’s east coast
But a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has proposed a hypothetical category six hurricane as a result of “record wind speeds” due to the planet warming.
Authors Michael Wehner and James Kossin criticised the Saffir-Simpson scale for being too “open-ended” which can lead to an underestimation of risk.
Instead, the study recommends extending the requirements for a category five hurricane to cover wind speeds of 157-192mph, with the new category six for winds greater than 192mph.
Referring to hurricanes as intense tropical cyclones (TCs), the study said: “We investigate considering the extension to a 6th category of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale to communicate that climate change has caused the winds of the most intense TCs to become significantly higher.”
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It reported that in the past decade, five storms have exceeded the proposed category six range, including Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in 2013, bringing winds of 195mph, and Mexico’s Hurricane Patricia in 2015.
“192mph is probably faster than most Ferraris, it’s hard to even imagine,” Mr Wehner, a scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, said, according to The Guardian.
Mr Kossin, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, added: “Being caught in that sort of hurricane would be bad. Very bad.”
Scientists have previously warned that climate change is making extreme weather events more frequent and severe. This includes hurricanes and storm surges – a rise in sea level caused by wind and atmospheric pressure changes.
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In 2022, Hannah Thomas-Peter, Sky News’ climate change and energy correspondent, explained that more heat means more evaporation, which means more moisture in clouds and therefore more intense rainfall.
An increase in ocean temperatures can also make hurricanes more powerful, as the heat from the surface of the water transfers energy to the storm as it heads towards land.
However, there is no clear consensus on whether global warming is currently having any measurable impact on tropical cyclones, according to the Met Office.
World
Israel confirms Hamas chief Mohammad Sinwar was killed – as group makes counter-offer on ceasefire
Israel has confirmed its forces have killed Hamas’s Gaza chief, Mohammad Sinwar, as US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called the group’s counter-offer on a ceasefire “totally unacceptable”.
Mohammad Sinwar became the leader of the militant group in the Gaza Strip after his older brother Yahya Sinwar was killed last October.
In a statement, the Israeli military said it had killed Sinwar on 13 May, and was the target of a strike on a hospital in southern Gaza.
Hamas has neither confirmed nor denied his death, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told parliament on Wednesday that he had been “eliminated”.
A handout image of Mohammed Sinwar from December 2023. Pic: Israeli Army / Reuters
Hamas seeks changes in US ceasefire proposal
It comes as Hamas said it was seeking amendments to a US-proposed ceasefire deal, offering 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
On Thursday, the White House said Israel agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal, which would see the release of nine living hostages and half of the known hostages who have died over the course of a week.
Israel and Hamas would then continue talks to bring the remaining hostages home, but Israel would retain the right to resume military action in Gaza if talks were to break down.
In a statement about the proposal on Saturday, Hamas said its response “aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid to our people in the Strip”.
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Israeli ambassador claims ‘no starvation in Gaza’
Hamas offer ‘totally unacceptable’ – Witkoff
Donald Trump’s special Middle East envoy, Mr Witkoff, said on social media that Hamas’s response is “totally unacceptable and only takes us backwards”.
“Hamas should accept the framework proposal we put forward as the basis for proximity talks, which we can begin immediately this coming week,” he added.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters that the group has not rejected the proposal but added Mr Witkoff’s response was “unfair” and showed “complete bias” towards Israel.
Israel has not yet responded to Hamas’ counter-offer, but has previously rejected the conditions and demanded the complete disarmament and dismantling of the group.
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Meanwhile, Gaza aid groups have said dozens of World Food Programme (WFP) trucks carrying flour to Gaza bakeries had been hijacked by armed groups and subsequently looted by people.
The WFP added: “After nearly 80 days of a total blockade, communities are starving and they are no longer willing to watch food pass them by.”
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Amjad Al-Shawa, head of an umbrella group representing Palestinian aid groups, said hundreds more trucks were needed and accused Israel of a “systematic policy of starvation”.
Israel denies operating a policy of starvation and says it is facilitating aid deliveries via the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Instead, it accuses Hamas of stealing supplies.
At least seven people have died in a train derailment in Russia which happened after a bridge collapsed.
Local authorities have blamed “illegal interference” for the incident in Bryansk region.
The train was travelling from Moscow to Klimov when it came off its tracks, killing the driver and six others. An infant was among 28 people taken to hospital.
Pic: Moscow Transport Prosecutor’s Office
Emergency workers are at the scene attempting to pull survivors from the wreckage.
Russian media reported that the passenger train crashed into the collapsed bridge.
There were a series of clashes with riot police in the French capital after Paris Saint-Germain won the Champions League for the first time on Saturday night.
Flares and fireworks were set off in Paris after PSG beat Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich – the biggest ever victory in a Champions League final.
Around 5,400 police were deployed across Paris after the game, with officers using tear gas and pepper spray on the Champs Elysees.
Pic: AP
Pic: AP
At the top of the Champs-Élysées, a water cannon was used to protect the Place de l’Étoile, near the landmark Arc de Triomphe.
Police said a large crowd not watching the match tried to push through a barrier to make contact with officers.
Some 131 arrests were made, including 30 who broke into a shoe shop on the Champs-Élysées.
Two cars were set alight close to Parc des Princes, police said.
PSG striker Ousmane Dembele appealed for calm in a post-match interview with Canal+, saying: “Let’s celebrate this but not tear everything up in Paris.”
Pics: AP
After the full-time whistle in Germany, thousands of supporters also tried to rush the field at the Allianz Arena.
Police lined up in front of the PSG end of the stadium at the final whistle, but struggled to contain the fans for several minutes when they came down from the stands following the trophy presentation.
Pics: AP
Desire Doue, the 19-year-old who scored two goals and assisted one in the final, said after the game: “I don’t have words. But what I can say is, ‘Thank you Paris,’ we did it.”
Despite being an Olympique de Marseille supporter, French President Emmanuel Macron also said on social media: “A glorious day for PSG!
“Bravo, we are all proud. Paris, the capital of Europe this evening.”
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Mr Macron’s office said the president would receive the players at the Elysee Palace on Sunday.
The team are also expected to parade down the Champs Elysees.
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