The Way We Rate Tropical Storms Has to Change

There seems to be a problem when it comes to how we perceive storms of a tropical nature.

It happened with Tropical Depression Imelda. The storm formed rather quickly and while it didn't have time to get too big before slamming into the Texas Coast, it still packed quite a punch.

Five people have died as a result of the storm. Hundreds of homes and other buildings have been damaged by the storm.

Rainfall amounts topped 1200 mm.

But the storm was just a tropical depression.

Tropical Storm Imelda was the fifth-wettest tropical cyclone on record in the continental United States.

The Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale is used to classify hurricanes. The scale only takes wind into account, not rain or other hazards.

When people hear that the storm has "weakened" into a tropical depression they think it won't be as bad.