What a great answer! I don't think I could have summed up this debate better myself. In fact, I'm sure I couldn't have. 
We had another record high on Thursday. I'm lovin' it! 
The Debate was to be about hurricanes and why the lack of major hurricanes. NO irene and sandy were NOT major hurricanes. I know 1000 mile storm, 10' storm surge (at high tide), and hundreds dead. Thousand mile storms happen often. Watch up in alaska. A 950 low is due in the gulf of alaska and yes it will be a thousand miles wide.
Also, the Current weather "doom" ghi spoke of "will come together over toronto" Is my prediction that the low over the plains with the strong pull of cool air will draw up the tropical storm in the gulf creating another "Thousand mile storm" centered over Toronto. Time will tell, stay tuned.

p.s. buy some land in canada, good weather on the way, plus no ocean flooding, so long as the gulf keeps pumping moisture it wont turn back into the desert it once was. This being before the the mile thick sheet of ice that came down and carved the earth away.