Hurricane Assumptions

FILE - This Oct. 31, 2012 file photo shows destroyed homes left in the wake of Superstorm Sandy in Ortley Beach, N.J. Calling storms hurricanes or in some cases extratropical cyclones _ when a system has a cold core instead _ is a problem because weaker storms can kill with water not wind. People including some officials started to ignore or downplay 2012’s Sandy because it wasn’t a hurricane and lost its tropical characteristic. (AP Photo/Mike Groll, File)