We meteorologists often get questions that go something like this: What's the worst "fill-in-the-blank" ever?, where usually the "fill-in-the-blank" is some type of storm. This time of year, the question is usually about hurricanes, and the answer depends on your definition of "worst."

First, let's confine ourselves to the U.S. In that case, if "worst" means most fatalities, it would be a hurricane that surprised Galveston, Texas in September 1900. If "worst" means most damage, then the answer is Hurricane Andrew in 1992. And if "worst" means lowest air pressure, a more technical way to judge intensity, then a 1935 hurricane that struck the Florida Keys would be at the top of the list.

If we include all hurricanes worldwide, the answers all change. For example, a 1979 storm named "Tip" in the Pacific has the all-time lowest air pressure, while a hurricane that struck Bangladesh in 1970 caused the most fatalities. And if we choose to define "worst" by other measures, such as highest storm surge or most rain, the answers would also be different. Hurricanes certainly provide a perfect weather-related example of how there are often many ways to define "Number 1".