RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – A study published earlier this year suggests that since hurricanes have been getting stronger, thanks in part to warmer ocean waters linked to climate change, another category, Category 6, should be added to the current 5 category Saffir-Simpson hurricane strength scale. The researchers suggest that Category 5 be capped with sustained winds of 192 miles per hour and a Category 6 would be anything above 192 miles per hour. Rapidly intensifying Hurricane Milton will not significantly impact North Carolina — but here’s what to know In the Atlantic Basin, where our hurricanes develop and impact us, there has never been a hurricane with winds above 192 miles per hour. The closest was Hurricane Allen back in 1980 when at its strongest had sustained winds of 190 miles per hour. Saffir-Simpson Hurricane ScaleWind Speed (in miles per hour)Category 174-95 mphCategory 296-110 mphCategory 3111-129 mphCategory 4130-156 mphCategory 5157 mph or higher There have been a few tropical cyclones worldwide that have had winds stronger than 192 miles per hour, but so far, that percentage is very small. But would adding another strength category help, or would it decrease the apparent severity of the other categories? In North Carolina, we know all too well what a Category 1 hurricane can do when Florence hit in 2019. With that in mind, National Hurricane Center Director Dr. Michael Brennan had this to say when asked for comment in February: "At NHC, our focus is on steering towards the individual hazards, which include storm surge, wind, rainfall, tornadoes and rip currents, instead of the particular category of the storm, which only provides information about the hazard from wind. Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale already captures "Catastrophic Damage" from wind, so it's not clear that there would be a need for another category even if storms were to get stronger. In addition, most deaths in tropical cyclones occur not from the wind but from water - storm surge, rainfall/inland flooding, and hazardous surf - causing about 90 percent of tropical cyclone deaths in the United States. So, we don't want to over-emphasize the wind hazard by placing too much emphasis on the category." The bottom line: hurricanes in recent history have been getting stronger and having more impacts as our climate changes, but you should always have a plan in place and listen for the impacts expected should a storm head our way, no matter the category.