Category 6?

Hurricane Milton underwent rapid intensification (an increase in the maximum sustained winds in a tropical cyclone of at least 35 mph in a 24-hour period) Sunday night and Monday.

In fact, Milton went from Category 1 strength to Category 5 strength in about half-a-day, growing into an intense Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph as of Monday evening and further strengthening not off the table. This quick increase in immense intensity has left many folks wondering if there's a Category 6, and if so, if Milton will obtain that intensity.

There's no official Category 6—or greater—for hurricanes. The current intensity measurement for hurricanes is the Saffir-Simpson Scale, which is assigns a rating—of 1 to 5—based on a hurricane's maximum sustained wind speed in which the categories increase by around 20 mph increments.

Category 1: Wind speeds between 74 to 95 mph

Category 2: Wind speeds between 96 and 110 mph

Category 3: Wind speeds between 111-129 mph; is considered a "major" hurricane

Category 4: Wind speeds between 130-156 mph; is considered a "major" hurricane

Category 5: Wind speeds 157 mph and higher; is considered a "major" hurricane

Some tropical experts and scientists have tossed around the idea, proposing a new category—Category 6—be added to the Saffir-Simpson Scale designated for the most intense hurricanes that approach wind speeds of 200 mph. Some of these experts suggest this is needed because of the potential increase in intensity of hurricanes as the climate changes—such that the Saffir-Simpson Scale, developed more than five decades ago, may not show the true potential and power of the most intense hurricanes. The proposal is that hurricanes that achieve maximum sustained winds of 192+ mph be classified as Category 6.

While this Category 6 idea has been proposed, and could be a real possibility in the future, don't expect it any time soon.