A distinction without a difference.
Give me a break!
Do the physics and science of natural phenomena change merely by using a different word to describe the same identical physical thing?
Proper terminology is a very important aspect of science. What Dr. Cullen wrote was meteorologically correct. A good, well-educated meteorologist would not call a Southern Hemisphere tropical weather system a hurricane -- and that was her point about what a knowledgeable meteorologist should know.
Otherwise let's start talking about Typhoon Katrina.