Reply #6: The current system is good, but I'd like to see meteorologists talk more

[jobycom]

about size and speed.

I agree with Safir in the article, that the 5 point scale is simple and a good relative scale, but with Katrina it hurt. A lot of people relaxed when it fell to a 3 before landfall. Fortunately, most people had already evacuated, but there was still a letdown.

But Katrina was vicious for two reasons, both dealing with size. The winds lasted twice as long as usual, since it was twice the size, so the cumulative effect was worse than a smaller, more powerful hurricane. And the winds at sea, it has been theorized, drove the water before it for much longer, which built the storm surge higher than any other storm on record.

The speed of hurricanes also plays a role. The slower storms push larger storm surges, usually, and the faster storms can cause more tornado damage and some suggest that the speed of the storm should be added to the wind speed for total wind force. One hurricane in 1938 moved at 70 mph, and hit Long Island (this was a real freak thing). The winds were in the low 100s, but with the speed of the storm the damage was horrible. Something like 600 people died. (Plus, no one knew it was coming).

Anyway, I think they should keep the basic 5 point scale, but they could either factor size and speed into that number, or simply mention it when they report the wind speed and pressure (which is also not factored in to the Category ratings).