Scientists have found that the strength of hurricanes has been dramatically increased as a result of the climate crisis. The proposal is for hurricanes to fall into a sixth category if they have sustained winds greater than 192mph. The highest current category, 5, includes storms of 157mph or higher.
The increasing strength of hurricanes is a result of warmer oceans from climate change providing more energy to storms. Storms such as Hurricane Patricia from 2015, which reached a top wind speed of 215mph, would fit into the proposed sixth category.