x
Breaking News
More () »

The Weather Channel To Name Winter Storms

MOOSIC — The Weather Channel announced Tuesday, that it will start naming winter storms for this upcoming season. We all know hurricanes have names like K...

MOOSIC -- The Weather Channel announced Tuesday, that it will start naming winter storms for this upcoming season.

We all know hurricanes have names like Katrina and Andrew, but now those nor'easter could have names too.

The National Weather Service, a government agency, has been naming hurricanes for years.

Now, The Weather Channel, a commercial business based in Atlanta, Georgia, has decided that big winter storms need names too.

Starting this winter, all storms dubbed "noteworthy" by The Weather Channel will be given a name. The first list of names ranges from Athena to Zeus, with Nemo and Rocky in between.

In a news release, The Weather Channel said, "A storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation."

The Weather Channel said its goal is to better communicate the threat of impending weather, but some people in our area aren't so sure.

"I think it's very odd. I understand the need for it, but at the same time, I don't really understand why winter storms need it when we have so many winter storms," said Megan Buchanan from Lake Ariel.

Some recent winter storms have been given titles that you may remember such as, "Snowmageddon" Or "The President's Day Storm" of last year. The Weather Channel says that, like hurricanes, winter storms can affect large areas over several days and naming them could make them easier to follow.

"It puts a name to everything, which makes it easier for everybody to know, like, oh, what kind of storm it seems we're going to be getting or what kind of day we'll be having," said Michelle Walter from Mountain Top.

Newswatch 16's Chief Meteorologist Tom Clark believes naming winter storms could be a good idea, with some fine tuning.

"I think it's an interesting idea. It's kind of glamorous to give storms names, but I think a set of guidelines has to be put in place to indicate when a storm gets a name. Then the National Weather Service has to latch onto this and they have to agree to adopt those guidelines, so that there is more conformity and less confusion," said Chief Meteorologist Tom Clark.

Even though the Weather Channel will start naming the storms starting this winter season, they haven't stated what specific criteria they'll use to decide which storms deserve names.

Before You Leave, Check This Out