For now, Category 5 hurricanes are the worst on the Saffir-Simpson scale — but experts warn that even more destructive storms may soon unleash their fury. Meteorologists never anticipated the need for a rating higher than 5, which generated winds of 157 mph and greater, but scientists believe warmer oceans and more water in the atmosphere could create Category 6 superstorms, according to a Guardian article adapted from the upcoming book “This Is The Way The World Ends.” Right now, there’s
anywhere from 5 to 8 percent more water vapor circulating throughout the atmosphere than there was a generation ago. This water vapor combined with warmer temperatures and oceans has created the potential for storms with violent winds exceeding 200 mph. American meteorologist Jeff Masters, a former “hurricane hunter” for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, pondered about the possibility of these never-before-seen storms in a 2016 post on the Weather Underground. READ MORE
