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Climate change means category 6 hurricane needed
PRINT ALL READINGS (PDF)Hurricanes - Level 0
Scientists want a new category to measure hurricanes. They want to add a category 6 to the current 1 to 5 scale. A category 5 measures winds of up to 252 kph. A new category is for winds of over 309 kph. In the past 10 years, there have been five hurricanes that would be a category 6.
A scientist wants more discussions about the risks in a warming world. Greenhouse gasses are heating oceans. This gives the water extra energy. This makes hurricanes more powerful. Wind speeds are much higher. The scientist said: "These storms keep getting stronger as the climate changes."
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Hurricanes - Level 1
Scientists say we need a new category for hurricanes because climate change is causing more powerful storms. The scientists want to add a category 6 to the current 1 to 5 scale used to measure hurricanes. A category 5 measures winds of up to 252 kph. The scientists say a new category of 6 measures winds of over 309 kph. They say that in the past 10 years, there have been five hurricanes and typhoons that would be a category 6.
A scientist said he wants more discussions, "about how to better communicate risk in a warming world". He said greenhouse gasses are increasing temperatures and heating oceans. This gives the water extra energy, which makes hurricanes more powerful. Wind speeds are much higher. The scientist thinks there will be more "super-storms" in the future. He said: "These storms keep getting stronger as the climate changes."
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Hurricanes - Level 2
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Weather scientists say we need a new category for hurricanes. This is because climate change is causing more powerful storms. The scientists want to extend the current 1 to 5 scale used to measure hurricanes. A category 5 is currently the strongest. This is when winds reach 252 kph. The scientists say a new category of 6 is needed for winds of over 309 kph. They say that in the past decade, there have been five hurricanes and typhoons that would be a category 6. Hurricanes start in the Atlantic Ocean, while typhoons develop in the north-western Pacific Ocean.
A meteorologist said the USA's National Hurricane Center would need to start researching intense storms to create the category 6. He wants more discussions, "about how to better communicate risk in a warming world". He said greenhouse gas emissions are increasing temperatures. This is heating oceans, which gives the water extra energy. This makes hurricanes more powerful, with much higher wind speeds. The meteorologist thinks there will be more "super-storms" in the future. He said: "These storms keep getting stronger as the climate changes."
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11 online activities | 8-page printable (PDF)
Hurricanes - Level 3
Weather experts are calling for a new, stronger category for hurricanes. They say this is because climate change is causing more powerful storms. Scientists in the USA want to extend the current scale used to measure hurricanes. This scale ranks storms from 1 to 5. A category five is currently the strongest. This is when winds reach 252 kph. The meteorologists say a new category of 6 is needed for winds of over 309 kph. Their studies show that in the past decade, there have been five hurricanes and typhoons that would have been a category 6. Hurricanes and typhoons are the same weather phenomenon. The former start in the Atlantic Ocean, while the latter occur in the north-western Pacific Ocean.
Meteorologist Dr James Kossin said it would take a long time for a new category 6 to be accepted. It would need the USA's National Hurricane Center to start researching more intense storms. Dr Kossin hopes to, "inform broader discussions about how to better communicate risk in a warming world". He said "significantly increasing" temperatures are caused by greenhouse gas emissions. This increase in emissions is heating oceans, which gives the water extra energy. This makes hurricanes more powerful, with much higher wind speeds. He believes there will be a greater number of "super-storms" in the future. He said: "These storms keep getting stronger as the climate changes."
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25 online activities | 27-page printable | 2-page mini-lesson
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