Dear Tom,
Can you please explain why winter storms now have names?
— Jane, Sugar Grove
Dear Jane,
The Weather Channel
names winter storms. However, it is not official, and the names have no significance other than that the Weather Channel chooses to give them names. Spokesperson Susan Buchanan of the
National Weather Service
states, “The National Weather Service does not name winter storms because a winter storm’s impact can vary from one location to another, and storms can weaken and redevelop, making it difficult to define where one ends and another begins.” In addition, other private weather forecasting firms in the United States have disagreed with the practice of naming winter storms. AccuWeather President Joel Myers said in 2013, “The Weather Channel has confused media spin with science and public safety.”
