-When Did Winter Storms Get Names?-Winter Storm Decima, The Weather Channel Excited

Did I miss something? I can't remember naming winter storms. I was watching The Weather Channel and they are tripping over their feet talking about Winter Storm Decima.
The video at :27 seconds Joe Bob meteorologist talks about Decima.


Did I miss this? I really haven't paid much attention to TWC, but I turned it on and made me wonder when this started?

a reply to: seasonal

In 2012, The Weather Channel announced that it will be naming “noteworthy winter storms,” just as tropical storms are named. “The fact is,” writes Tom Nizioli on The Weather Channel’s website, “a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation.”

Link

There are pros and cons to it. I live in Montana. We just call what's happening "winter". But the Weather Channel needs more excitement then that! So here we are.

Edited to add... the perfect username to ask this question. S&F for you!

a reply to: seasonal

*shrug* weather nerds freak out over weather.

originally posted by: theantediluvian
a reply to: seasonal

*shrug* weather nerds freak out over weather.

^^^ This as well.

a reply to: theantediluvian

And they are freaking, it is going to "dump" 3-6 inches of snow. The naming of winter storms smells like hype to me, but another post said it was in 2012.
I must not be paying attention.

originally posted by: GreyScale
a reply to: seasonal

In 2012, The Weather Channel announced that it will be naming “noteworthy winter storms,” just as tropical storms are named. “The fact is,” writes Tom Nizioli on The Weather Channel’s website, “a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation.”

Link

There are pros and cons to it. I live in Montana. We just call what's happening "winter". But the Weather Channel needs more excitement then that! So here we are.

Edited to add... the perfect username to ask this question. S&F for you!

I live a little north of Buffalo and I just have to smile everytime we get new names for winter storms.

Like the POLAR VORTEX!

HEH, like you said, its winter.

My child hood winters were MUCH worse. I have pictures from numerous years of us kids shoveling the driveway up over 6 foot banks. We would play hockey in the driveway and check people into the banks on either side.
We haven't had 6 foot banks by the driveway in a couple decades! We had AWESOME snow forts too!

Everyone gets so uptight about everything now that used to be called 'life'.

a reply to: seasonal

LoL, 3-6 inches......

Wake me when its 3-6 feet.

Society in general has been dumbed down to be dependent whimps.

a reply to: seasonal
Tropical storms have been named by the National Weather Service for over 50 years.

Wiki

Winter storm naming in the United States has been used since the mid 1700s in various ways to describe historical winter storms.

In 2012, The Weather Channel began naming winter storms on their own.

originally posted by: stosh64
a reply to: seasonal

LoL, 3-6 inches......

Wake me when its 3-6 feet.

Society in general has been dumbed down to be dependent whimps.

Ha! wake me at 10 ft, lol. We both now what that is like.


Seriously, though, some places are not prepared for 3-6 inches and it depends on the wind and how many inches per hour or if it's all ice.

More warning is better. I don't mind the names.

originally posted by: reldra
a reply to: seasonal

Seriously, though, some places are not prepared for 3-6 inches and it depends on the wind and how many inches per hour or if it's all ice.

I was in San Antonio Texas in 1984, a lonely recruit from British Columbia and other parts unknown. The roads froze that night and they had about an inch of snow.

I stood in a 7-11 drinking a coffee and watched drivers exit the freeway at 55 mph, crashing into things, flipping their cars, smashing into storefronts. It was unreal. They eventually just closed Loop 401 and other major interstates.

So yes, some areas have no clue and need a big warning.

originally posted by: reldra

originally posted by: stosh64
a reply to: seasonal

LoL, 3-6 inches......

Wake me when its 3-6 feet.

Society in general has been dumbed down to be dependent whimps.

Ha! wake me at 10 ft, lol. We both now what that is like.


Seriously, though, some places are not prepared for 3-6 inches and it depends on the wind and how many inches per hour or if it's all ice.

More warning is better. I don't mind the names.

Fair enough. Not every area can take 3 feet in stride.

I do chuckle, I know I shouldn't....when places like Charlotte, my son lives there, gets 2-3 inches and the city comes to a halt.

I agree the warning is needed for some.

But even in our area, they hype ANY storm beyond reason anymore. They warn US of storms bringing 2-6 inches, a week before the storm is predicted.

I guess media needs something to get excited about....

a reply to: reldra

This is Michigan, I am surprised they named it for such an average storm.

Eeeek!
I forgot to go to the grocery store and stock up on bread and milk!

False color images with dubious scales defining the color, sensationalized storm names where a name isn't needed, lots of sciencey sounding crap being spouted out in a salad with jargon that no one really understands.

Sounds like meteor"ology".

a reply to: seasonal

I think they just loooove to disappoint. Don't tell me 8-13" in two days when it's really only going to be 6". I just got my Outback and I'm itching for lots and lots of snow to drive in!

a reply to: seasonal
TWC gets excited about all manner of things. In their defense it's hard to get people enthused about meteorology in general. Naming winter storms isn't that big of a deal cause in reality you gotta call it "something" so people have a clue what you're nattering on about.

The "heyday" was a few years ago with Jim Cantore and Stephanie Abrams racing around the country to broadcast live from storms. Her jumping into a 6inch pile of snow was "classic ridiculous". It was such a joke that people didn't get wound up till Cantore would be spotted storm chasing. A deluge of Weather Channel trucks meant you were pretty close to ground zero!

I used eye-roll about snow shutting down the southern states till I spent some time there. The roads aren't graded like they are up here, they don't even sell snow tires down there or have snow removal equipment. Even here, in the first real snow drivers are shucking an jiving till they "remember" how to drive in the stuff. After that everyone settles down an has a clue.

a reply to: seasonal

Yup, you missed it.
Happened a few years ago.

Just like people here claimed they made up the polar vortex for a specific agenda even though it was labeled as such un the ewrly 1900s..

originally posted by: stosh64

originally posted by: GreyScale
a reply to: seasonal

In 2012, The Weather Channel announced that it will be naming “noteworthy winter storms,” just as tropical storms are named. “The fact is,” writes Tom Nizioli on The Weather Channel’s website, “a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation.”

Link

There are pros and cons to it. I live in Montana. We just call what's happening "winter". But the Weather Channel needs more excitement then that! So here we are.

Edited to add... the perfect username to ask this question. S&F for you!

I live a little north of Buffalo and I just have to smile everytime we get new names for winter storms.

Like the POLAR VORTEX!

HEH, like you said, its winter.

My child hood winters were MUCH worse. I have pictures from numerous years of us kids shoveling the driveway up over 6 foot banks. We would play hockey in the driveway and check people into the banks on either side.
We haven't had 6 foot banks by the driveway in a couple decades! We had AWESOME snow forts too!

Everyone gets so uptight about everything now that used to be called 'life'.

Your lack of knowledge doesnt make something applicable...

The polar vortex was first described as early as 1853.[4] The phenomenon's sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) develops during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere and was discovered in 1952 with radiosonde observations at altitudes higher than 20 km

Yeah.....I don't mind the names.....it's easier than trying to talk about the storm of December 12-14, 2016

What I do mind is the hype over the amount!!!!!!!!!!
Last weekend they forecast at one point 5-12 inches.
Downgraded it to 4-10.
Changed it again.
And again.

I get the model runs....really I do.
But I don't know how accurate they can be 5-7 days out for my county, let alone my city.
I don't want a forecast for "your viewing area"----that is huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, after the snow was said and done they said we got 11 inches.

WTF!!!!

We drove around, asked a few folks we knew......NO ONE saw that much snow.
We saw mostly 3-5 inches.

About two years ago.
I guess it helps people remember certain storms.
I remember hurricanes by their names. Tropical depression 8 in 1999 wouldn't mean much to most but say hurricane Floyd and they remember that. I had a premonition of Floyd in June of that year and I tracked every storm coming off cape Verde. So I know Floyd was TD 8 early on.

My premonition came when I was looking at the list of names for that summer. I told my husband that Floyd was going to be a problem for us. In June.
The storm came in Sept.