Did ’Downgraded’ Florence Contribute To A False Sense Of Security?

From 1 to 5, the numbers we use to categorize hurricanes are ingrained in the minds of millions of Americans from Texas to Maine. But the famed 47-year-old Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, which only measures wind speed, may not be the best way to gauge a storm’s ferocity. Last week, powerful Hurricane Florence was downgraded from a Category 4 to a Category 2 and eventually a Category 1 as it made landfall — and this may have contributed to a false sense of security. “The concept of saying ‘downgraded’ or ’weakened should be forever banished,” University of Georgia meteorology professor Marshall Shepherd said. “With Florence, I felt it was more dangerous after it was lowered to Category 2.”