On the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, there is no Category 6. But 2005’s Hurricane Wilma brushed up against where a 6 would be if the scale were logically extrapolated to include another category.

An extrapolation of the Saffir-Simpson scale suggests that if a Category 6 were there, it would be in the range of 176-196 mph. Hurricane Wilma, which had maximum recorded wind speeds of 175 mph, would have been on the verge of breaking into this hypothetical new category.

2006 was a quiet hurricane season, in part due to El Nino conditions in the Pacific, but 2007 has gotten off to an early start with subtropical Andrea hovering off the coast of Florida, three weeks before the traditional start of the hurricane season–an ominous portent for the hurricane season this year.