I thought this reader feedback I got via email was of interest, and not just because she agreed with me.
"Thank you for writing this post! I have thought many times over the past few years that our hurricane classification is inadequate and believe we need to readdress how we categorize and how we notify people about the potential dangers. While forecasters have gotten better with providing warnings about storm surge, too many people still seem to rely on the actual classification for action. Additionally, I believe that we need to reconsider the timing of when a hurricane "makes landfall". We who follow storms regularly know that quite a bit of damage can be done before the eye ever makes landfall and that people should make evacuation decisions based off of when winds are scheduled to make landfall. If they wait until closer to when the eye makes landfall, it may be too late. I hope your post will get traction with those responsible for making changes to classifications!"
Christina Bredhold
