Statistical analysis of cyclone deepening rates has been used in the past to infer distinctions between physical processes operative in cases of explosive cyclogenesis and lesser storms. This note attempts to qualify the conclusions of the previous study by analyzing cyclone deepening data from a new prospective. The results suggest that the debate concerning the relative normality of these distributions is essentially irrelevant. Significant statistical evidence is provided to suggest that midlatitude maritime cyclogenesis exhibits a fundamentally different character from continental events, and that this distinction is evident across a wide spectrum of storm intensities.