When did this become a thing and more importantly, why is it a thing in the first place? A winter storm is just that. A storm that happens in the winter time. It's nothing special, unexpected or rare. Disruptive, yes. Dangerous, possibly. Costly, sometimes. Here in Nebraska, we call it weather. It happens every year at least once. It's expected and planned for. Personally, I think it's a smoke and mirror ploy from the climate change con artists to get us normal folks worried because now winter weather is so bad it has to be named. Next spring we will probably have to hear about thunder storm Larry and its tornadoes Tom, Bob, Ralph, and Pee Wee. Pee Wee was only an F1 so it needed a small sounding name.
Systematic naming of winter storms started in 2012 by TWC. I agree--I don't see a need for it. Heck, for all I care, they could just name it "Tuesday's Blizzard".
The only storms I have ever heard named were hurricanes (or tropical storms that can become hurricanes). They are kind of a big deal so maybe they use the name as a way to draw attention to it, I have no issue with that.
Local stations have been naming winter storms since at least the early 80's around here. I see no point to it but maybe some people use it as a frame of reference somehow. They must have a better memory than I because I won't remember this storms name by the end of next week.
Blizzards seem to be remembered by the year that they happened. All the old timers like to talk about "the blizzard of {enter year here}" I suppose giving them a name might serve to grab a few clicks from people glossing over headlines on news sites.
Isn't that only a thing in the south and east? Sad day when/if people start calling snow storms in the upper Midwest by name..
Then consider it a sad day. I'm digging out from "Kayla" which doesn't even come close to making the top 10 of blizzards that I've been through. Granted, some areas got it worse than others and a personal assessment is subjective but I would venture that this won't be remembered as the blizzard of 2016 by anyone.
24/7 news cycle. The Weather Channel had been losing viewers so they needed a way to draw people back in and by telling everyone just what a terrible storm, "Tom, **** or Harry" or excuse me, "Jill, Kylie or Ally" was going to be it created a new way to make themselves seem relevant.
I think Kayla will be remembered by a few folks in Wisconsin as the day we were all worried over nothing. Think we got less than 8 inches by us.
Sundown Larry is coming this evening. Followed by sunrise Curly tomorrow morning. You have been warned.
I had a bit of fog come through I named steve. name the storm and blow it out of proportion so people watch to see commercials. Stay Tuned!!!! what about naming lake effect snow bands. heck they are way worse then any storm coming across the plains.
Not only the names but one guy would type the storm if it had no name. Alberta Clippers and Saskatchewan Screamers. LOL
It's so they can #hashtag it and get all the Twitter Feeds. #stupid #goingtobeaweathermaninmynextcareer
I believe they started naming Blizzards because they had nothing to use to bring storms back to people's remembrance. If you didn't go through it, it means nothing to you. So they started "glorifying mediocrity" It snows every Winter and it rains every month and they want to be able to say they "knew" it was coming. What irks me a lot too is when they say, "70 million people are in the path of a major storm" To only see a few tree limbs fall and some cars slide around. What a Waste of Time!!
It isn't just naming snowstorms that bothers me it is just part of the degradation of society, just like the trend of talking in acronyms or abbreviations, just say what you mean.
