Talk:Saffir–Simpson scale

scale colors?
Out of curiosity, does someone know where did the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane scale color scheme start out? for example, http://weather.unisys.com/hurricane/atlantic/

the current article (as of sept. 28) uses an alternative scale coloring scheme (white, yellow, orange, red)

The Colors
I’ve noticed that the colors for the categories have changed, like how red now represents category 4 cyclones and how purple represents category 5. Any particular reason for this? Just curious. Infinitive01 (talk) 22:01, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * There is a very lengthy discussion at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Weather. In short, though, we needed to make the colors more distinct from each other, especially for colorblind people. TornadoLGS (talk) 22:08, 20 March 2022 (UTC)
 * why are we not in a tornado alley 69.24.214.12 (talk) 22:59, 12 September 2023 (UTC)

Please change the colors back to where they were. If the colors are not Changed back, I will have to consider this an Act of Vandalism and will have to report it.

Nobody, And i mean NOBODY asked for these changes,Don't act like it isn't true, It IS.

So please do the right thing, The Smart thing, and change them back, Otherwise it will be reported. GhostHunter94 (talk) 05:10, 24 March 2022 (UTC)
 * the old color scheme is no longer an option. There's an ongoing discussion on the currently accepted version and possibly changing it, but the old scale could not be kept for accessibility reasons. You're more than welcome to waste your time and report it tho. ~ Cyclonebiskit (chat) 05:17, 24 March 2022 (UTC)
 * YES IT COULD.
 * But now that you've wrongfully ignored us in the Majority that wished to keep it, I'll have no choice but to report you and anyone in the Minority who act like it needed to happen, when it didnt.
 * This Unacceptable, and somebody BETTER change it back, NOW. GhostHunter94 (talk) 17:13, 24 March 2022 (UTC)
 * Bro GhostHunter94 the smart thing is not making it inaccessible and possibly causing death through misinformation and nobody but you cares about the change in a negative light. 80.0.214.105 (talk) 16:28, 23 January 2023 (UTC)
 * the new purple color is actually better, in my opinion. 184.67.166.254 (talk) 18:12, 25 May 2023 (UTC)
 * it should be noted, that the hypothetical hurricane wiki still uses the old colors. though that wiki is NONSENSE! 184.67.166.254 (talk) 18:11, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Unless you guys out up alert notices (like merger banners), there's no way most people will have any clue where that discussion is happening. Or even that such a discussion exists. I think it's unfair that those new colors were pushed through without much feedback. I've seen a lot of anger on Twitter over the new colors, too. — Preceding unsigned comment added by JirenOverload (talk • contribs) 02:44, 30 May 2022 (UTC)
 * We have had a lot of discussion and feedback about the colours and at the end of the day, the old colour scheme did not work for people who have accessibility problems. However, there is a further discussion going on at the moment about the colours.Jason Rees (talk) 11:08, 30 May 2022 (UTC)

I also agree that the colors should be reverted back to how they were before as the maps don't match. At least make things consistant for readers so they don't get confused. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 16:06, 5 September 2023 (UTC)
 * There was an extremely long RfC discussion, where members of not just WikiProject Weather, but also Wikipedia in general, commented and participated. The consensus and majority, which has to be respected and honored in this case, agreed to change the colors to better support color blindness. I know you as well as some other don’t like the change, but the majority was actually in support of these changes. A while ago, someone way smarter and more experienced told me:


 * If you disagree with a consensus, which you did not participate in, you have 2 options. 1) Get over it and learn to live with it or 2) read the entire consensus-giving discussion (all comments) and if you have a policy-based reason, which was not mentioned in the discussion (aka not considered in the discussion), you can open a new discussion, which is based strictly on policy and not opinions.


 * That said, the amount of people who commented and participated in the color discussion basically mean all avenues were covered. One could have been missed though. I will note, opening a discussion based on a I just don’t like it style of argument, or on a repeat of a topic covered in the previous discussion is generally considered to be disruptive and not helpful. Hopefully that helps. Cheers! The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 16:15, 5 September 2023 (UTC)


 * In my humble opinion, the maps are a major issue. I won't start up a new discussion to go against changing the colors back, but if it's meant to help the colorblind then these maps are rendered useless. - Knowledgekid87 (talk) 16:23, 5 September 2023 (UTC)

"Tropical storm" and "Tropical depression" definitions
In the table at the top of the page, there is defined a "Tropical storm" as being > 18 m/s, and a "Tropical depression" as being ≤ 17 m/s. I have not found any references that define Tropical storm and Tropical depression that way, and definitely not in the articles on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Where have these come from, and can someone find references for these definitions? Richard n 13:50, 18 November 2022 (UTC)


 * Update: found it: pd01006004curr.pdf (noaa.gov). Richard n  12:45, 10 January 2023 (UTC)

Adding Ian
Ian was the third most damaging Atlantic Hurricane on record, only behind Harvey and Katrina. It definitely deserves some spot on this list. ✶Mitch 199811  ✶  18:56, 11 August 2023 (UTC)


 * Nope Ian does not deserve a spot as it didnt make landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, as the rule of thumb has been that a system has to both peak and make landfall at the same intensity before it is listed. This is why Katrina isnt included.Jason Rees (talk) 02:00, 2 October 2023 (UTC)

Possible additional source for the section on proposed extensions
The growing inadequacy of an open-ended Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale in a warming world, a study by Wehner and Kossin, is currently seeing a lot of media coverage for its findings that a Category 6 is increasingly justified. 166.181.82.178 (talk) 00:46, 7 February 2024 (UTC)

Proposed Intuitive Color scheme
This is my proposed color scheme for the Saffir-Simpson scale. Any opinions and suggestions?

INFIYNJTE (talk) 16:19, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Well, I like it, but the color scheme will not change anytime soon. From 2021 to 2023, there was a very (very) long debate and discussion pertaining to the tropical storm and tornado color schemes on Wikipedia. For reference, the page linked there, aka the archived discussions about it, is 629,000 bytes (characters) long. Basically, the color scheme is, in complete actuality, permanent to what it is now due to that very long 2-3 year discussion. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 16:31, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * understood INFIYNJTE (talk) 16:42, 9 March 2024 (UTC)
 * Oppose: I think the old color scheme looks better; and doesn’t blend in as much. West Virginia WXeditor (talk) 01:03, 12 June 2024 (UTC)
 * There needs to be at least some blue or green for tropical depression/storm. Otherwise I oppose. West Virginia WXeditor (talk) 01:07, 12 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Alright. Added a better color scheme to my proposal. INFIYNJTE (talk) 03:25, 12 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Oppose due to the already lengthy color debate that settled on the current scheme. TornadoLGS (talk) 02:05, 12 June 2024 (UTC)
 * I think the color for category 5 as purple is counterintuitive. The color for the other categories are fine. INFIYNJTE (talk) 03:10, 12 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Ok I made some changes. I think the current color scheme is counterintuitive although it is good visually. Hence, I propose a more intuitive version.
 * Category 1,2,3,4, TS, and TD can stay the same, but Category 5 should change to a darker red because it signifies it is very dangerous. INFIYNJTE (talk) 18:31, 14 June 2024 (UTC)
 * If you are seriously proposing a change it would have to be handled at Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Weather. That being said, I am rather opposed to this because we already went through a long, arduous, and contentious process when we changed the colors in 2022. TornadoLGS (talk) 18:37, 14 June 2024 (UTC)
 * I know you want to make new proposals and such, and I don't want to stop you or anything like that, but honestly, nothing you propose is going to be added. The color-discussion to get the current tropical cyclone/tornado colors took over two years. The colors were changed to better fit colorblindness. In all reality, that consensus will not change, given it involved dozens of editors and so much time and effort. I would recommend scrolling through the discussion itself, as pretty much every combination was discussed and looked at. There is a chance your exact proposal or something almost identical to it was directly voted on and/or discussed in the discussion.
 * As another smaller point, consensus can change, however, any new discussions need to have new evidence not previously discussed to convince editors why X consensus should be looked at/overturned. Given how long and detailed the discussion is, a smaller post like this isn't going to change that consensus. The Weather Event Writer (Talk Page) 18:42, 14 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Alright, then I will drop my proposal. The other thing took a long time and required rigorous revision to make it color-blind friendly, and that is more important than intuitive color schemes.
 * Hence, I'm dropping my proposal indefinitely. INFIYNJTE (talk) 19:20, 14 June 2024 (UTC)