10.2.12 Weather Channel Will Name Winter Storms - FOX44 - Burlington / Plattsburgh News, Weather & Sports

10.2.12 Weather Channel Will Name Winter Storms

The Weather Channel announced it will name this year's winter storms, of course if they get big and strong enough.  The goal of this decision is to better prepare the public about the incoming storms.

So just like you hear of "Hurricane Isaac" in the summer, you'll hear "Winter Storm Caesar" sometime in the next six months.  However you won't hear "Winter Storm Caesar" here at Fox44/Abc22.

This is a Weather Channel thing only...for now. It isn't part of NOAA or the National Weather Service, but just TWC. Maybe you'll hear it on the NBC stations since they're partnered with TWC, but I'm not sure yet.

Here are the list of 2012-2013 winter storm names

The storms will be named based on how much snow they'll drop, how strong the winds will be, how much ice will accumulate, what the impact will be, etc.

Why is this being done? The Weather Channel says to improve communication between their meteorologists and the public. The hypothesis is that if people can associate a certain name with a snow storm, they'll take it more seriously, be better prepared, and remember the storm in the future when other huge storms hit.

• Naming a storm raises awareness.
• Attaching a name makes it much easier to follow a weather system's progress.
• A storm with a name takes on a personality all its own, which adds to awareness.
• In today's social media world, a name makes it much easier to reference in communication.
• A named storm is easier to remember and refer to in the future.

*Courtesy TWC above*

I'm tossed on the idea.  On one hand I like the communication to the public so they can grab onto a headline and take it more seriously. However TWC may get into the territory of "over hyping" where a storm is in the headlines so much and talked about so much, that it is over hyped. Then people may not believe the next big storm really will be that big.  At first I thought the idea was a little ridiculous, but I have seen others name winter storms in the past. In fact there's a local skier in the Vermont area who writes blogs http://www.famousinternetskiers.com/ and names the winter storms as they impact the area. Like I said though, that is something you'll probably only find on The Weather Channel, unless other networks or affiliates decide to jump on the bandwagon. I don't foresee us doing that.

-Meteorologist Steve Glazier