The Weather Channel’s practice of naming winter storms is:

Idiotic to the list.

(I don't know about your cable system but ours stretches the WX Channel so at the edges of the screen you get some strange body parts.)

Very dramatic, but worthless.
It's actually confusing for long-lived storms which regenerate.
This happened after I retired from the NWS 13 years ago & must represent the freedom of the private sector. It's reminiscent of naming hurricanes, but doesn't have the impact because of the widely varying conditions of these types of storms.

Fred

A marketing scam... and pure drek.

..it's a gimic.

The on-camera people think it's cool.
Off topic. What happened to Heather Tesh?

does it really matter what a storm is named??

Exploring options... http://heathertesch.tv

and the #1 reason is..... NBC told us to do so

Since ComcastNBC took over, weather has taken a backseat to WeatherCelebrity status.

Let's see 'em trademark that!

--

it's the dog's fault

Actually, I do have cable, and I don't think it's better than #8.

A pointless gimmick. Honestly, if someone asked you about winter storm ***** even a few months down the line would you even know what they were talking about? Silliness!

useless

The Weather Channel’s practice of naming winter storms is: A tempest in a teapot.

They should hire George Foreman to name storms. Like his kids, all of them would have the same name.

Good idea grtlake. Maybe WC could name them all Norman. WC staff could then just call them all "Stormin' Norman".

When we were in college, a 13" snowstorm meant we were in the car, cutting-class, and skiing at Killington, putting on chains if necessary.

Today, 1 1/2" of snow and the 6th largest city in the nation grinds to a halt and it's like Tom Cruise in War of the Worlds. A 35 min. commute to work becomes 2 hours. And we wonder what's going on with our economy.

She was good. But it always comes down to money.
She was on for a long time and probably made a decent buck. easier to get rid of her so they can start somebody else for less money. Big mistake.

seems to be it's a gimick and I'd agree. Just an easier way for them to ID storms than coming up with cute rhyming names like in the past. But still useless, unhelpful, and borderline pathetic.

Stupid

With a continuous news cycle, specialty television channels need issues to focus on. So we have on the spot coverage of audacious trials, tragic incidents, and yes, weather events.

In Canada The Weather Network has been a strong proponent of several initiatives to make weather-related information more meaningful to the public. I actually hear people talk about the UV Index or the Pollen Index, which are broadcast hourly on The Weather Network.

At the moment, naming storms may seem like a gimmick. But prior to the 1940s they didn't name hurricanes. Now everyone in the US knows what you're talking about when you say Hurricane Hazel, Hurricane Katrina and Typhoon Haiyan.

Sure it's a gimmick - but it's a useful one.

It is difficult enough for NOAA to get the public to heed warnings about named tropical storms and hurricanes. Naming far less threatening winter storms just serves to dilute the vital importance of this practice.

You have that exactly right! The idea is to name very few things that are of great importance.

Fred

They figured if they named hurricanes they might as well name a snow storm. I be won't home tonight dear I'm out with Derek..

Does any one remember Winter Storm Atlas?
How about Tropical Storm Sandy?

Atlas killed tens of thousands of livestock in WY & SD in October. The whole area was paralyzed under 3 feet of snow & 4 feet in Deadwood. How quickly TWC moves on.

Sandy however is still in the news.

NYC weather historians still talk of the Blizzard of 1947 (complete w/Wikipedia entry), or the cold winter of 1976-77 when the East River became clogged w/ice all the way down to the 59th St./Queensboro Bridge. There was the record setting mid 90's cold wave in the Hudson Valley where the entire NE ran out of salt & sand & snow banks piled up so high that highway sides blocked the view of entering & exiting traffic. I'm sure each one of us can recall equally memorable local weather anomalies.

If only the Weather Channel's current practice of naming winter storms were the media's and this country's most vexing problems. Meanwhile were're hunkered for "Electra" this weekend.

Thanks POI for letting us drop by here & remissness.

I got delayed a day there. That is Wall, SD. They had 48" of snow.

@ weekends ago had 25-30" of snow. What was that storm?

YESSSS< NAME 'EM!!!

YHY not... because none of us thought of it before THEM?!?!?!?

-Where is the harm???

---It DOES lend us a hand in remembering them!

So0o0o0o... WHY NOTTT!?!?!?

Because we did not think of it before... is Nooooo excuse!!!--

...It gives a little Yumph to boring weather reporting?!