Many meteorologists prefer to measure the overall activity of a given hurricane season by analyzing the total accumulated cyclone energy, or ACE.

To put it simply, a powerful hurricane will generate more ACE than a short-lived tropical storm. Meteorologists calculate ACE based on the storm’s wind speed throughout the storm's lifetime.

Many meteorologists believe analyzing total ACE gives a better picture for the overall activity within a given hurricane season.

Watch the video above to learn why a season with many tropical storms could be counted as less active than a season with just a few hurricanes.