It rained so much, the pool level was even with my deck

About a week ago, we had so much rain in So. Florida that my pool was over-filled to the point where the pool water level was literally even with my deck. I have heard it said -- long ago, before I was a pool owner -- that you shouldn't allow your pool to overflow like that. I'm guessing it's because it is damaging to the pool in one way or another.

When a big rain is about to come (think: hurricane season in Florida), is it okay to just let the pool fill-up to the brim like that? Or is there some reason to keep the water level below the coping?

Personally, I think most of that is a myth. When pools overflow, it is no different than runoff from a deck or driveway with the same surface area. There is water anyway from the rain. The biggest issue is that the skimmers will not work well when the level is too high.

Just guessing here, but it seems like a greater chance of getting water behind the liner if the level in the pool rises over the coping.