If you don't go through it, it must not be that bad. If you do go through it, it was worse than the category/ windspeed/ storm surge numbers convey. "You just

If you don't go through it, it must not be that bad. If you do go through it, it was worse than the category/ windspeed/ storm surge numbers convey. "You just had to be there! It was way worse than just a tropical depression!" It was the media experiencing this phenomenon that gave birth to the hyperbolic term "Superstorm Sandy". Anyone who's actually been through a hurricane saw through it right away.