Winter storm naming in the United States has been used sporadically since the mid-1700s in various ways to describe historical winter storms. These names have been coined using schemes such as the days of the year that the storm impacted or noteworthy structures that the storm had damaged and/or destroyed. In the 2010s [update] , winter storm naming became controversial with The Weather Channel coming up with its own list of names for winter storms similar to that of hurricanes. The marketing of weather became a big part of media revenue by the 1990s (see Weather media in the United States). Various other media outlets soon followed The Weather Channel with their own naming lists. Most government and research meteorologists argue that winter storms can reform more than once, making the process of naming them both difficult and redundant. The United States National Weather Service (NWS) has refrained from commenting on the system and stated that they do not name winter storms.
The practice of using names to identify weather systems goes back several centuries, with systems named after places, saints or things they hit before the formal start of each naming scheme. [1] [2] Examples include The Great Snow of 1717, The Schoolhouse Blizzard (1888), the Mataafa Storm, the Storm of the Century (1993). [3] Credit for the first usage of personal names for weather is generally given to the Queensland Government Meteorologist Clement Wragge, who named tropical cyclones and anticyclones between 1887–1907. [4] This system of naming weather systems subsequently fell into disuse for several years after Wragge retired, until it was revived for typhoons in the latter part of the Second World War. [4]
Named days of the calendar for storms include a storm that hit in 1940 called the Armistice Day Blizzard, a storm in Oregon in 1962 called the Columbus Day Storm, a storm in 1976 called the Groundhog Day gale, and more recently a storm in 1991 dubbed the Halloween blizzard. The twentieth century closed with two more storms that received names. In 1997, a blizzard that impacted the Northeastern United States was called the April Fool's Day Blizzard.
Storms of the twenty-first century include the South Valley Surprise of 2002 that impacted Oregon. During 2006 a major winter storm that impacted Colorado was dubbed the Colorado Holiday Blizzards. During October 2012 after informally using the previously coined name "Snowtober" for the 2011 Halloween nor'easter, The Weather Channel announced that it was going to start naming winter storms from a predetermined list of names. [5] The Weather Channel argued that the winter storm names would improve communications of storm warnings and help reduce storm impacts. [5] Private agencies, and news stations have also named storms in recent years that have received international media attention. These names include "Snowmageddon", "Snowzilla", and other voted upon names such as Anna, after former First Lady Anna Harrison. [6]
Ted Fujita proposed naming the April 3, 1974, tornado outbreak the “Jumbo Outbreak” as 747 was a designated jumbo jet and it occurred on the third day of the fourth in the 74th year of the 20th century. [7]
From the winter of 1998-99 until 2012-13, the United States National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Forecast Office in Buffalo, New York unofficially named lake-effect snow storms after the event, using various themes including insects, heavenly bodies, famous scientists, minerals and cows. [8] [9]
During the winter of 1971-72, Meteorologist Ken Garee of the Travelers Weather Service in Hartford, Connecticut started to name winter storms, in order to help educate the WTIC television and radio audiences about the rapid movement of winter storms. [10] Over the years, the naming scheme continued by the staff of WSFB Channel 3 with a variety of different themes used to name the systems including the top baby names of 1957, the children of Channel 3 and Connecticut Towns that could be someones first name. [11] [12] [13] These days systems are named if they are forecast to produce over 6 in (150 mm) of snow over the majority of the state and/or at least 1/2 the amount of ice accretion, an average ice storm would produce over the area. [13] WFSB has found that their naming of winter storms has had a mixed reaction over the years with some viewers criticizing it, however, the majority of their viewers found it fun and loved the tradition. [13]
During the late 1980s, WLUK-TV meteorologist John Chandik started to name winter storms alphabetically, after communities in the station's viewing area in northeastern Wisconsin. [14] [15] Over the next few years, the naming scheme continued with a fresh list of names developed internally every year and started to use people names for the winter storms, as it didn't make sense to name a system Florence, if the majority of the snow was in Appleton or Oshkosh. [15] [16] These days systems are most commonly named if they are forecast to produce over 5 in (130 mm) of snow over WLUK Fox 11's viewing area or if a major ice storm occurs which has the potential for power outages and making driving hazardous. [17] WLUK has found that their naming of winter storms has had a mixed reaction over the years, with some communities taking it as a source of pride and fun, while other viewers didn't like the naming scheme. [14] [15]
During Halloween 2011, a nor'easter impacted the northeastern United States and was nicknamed "Snowtober" by various media outlets and on social media, which prompted The Weather Channel (TWC) to put the nickname on air where it took off. [18] [19] As a result, the commercial weather service started to informally investigate naming winter storms and realised that Twitter needed a hashtag for every system so that information could be filtered. [18] [20] During October 2012, TWC announced that 3 of their senior meteorologists would start proactively naming noteworthy winter storms, using names from a predetermined list of 26 Roman and Greek names. [21] [20] TWC argued that the naming scheme would raise awareness, make communications and information sharing easier, which in turn would make it easier for people to understand forecasts, lead to better planning, preparedness and result in less impact overall. [21] The initial reaction to TWC's naming scheme was mixed as most people did not have a problem with it, while others were not happy that TWC had not consulted the rest of the meteorological community on the initiative and called it self-serving and not in the interest of effective weather communication. [22] After considering TWC's press release and various other factors, the founder and president of the commercial weather service Accuweather, Dr. Joel N. Myers, suggested that TWC had "confused media spin with science and public safety." [23] He also stated that Accuweather had explored the issue for 20 years and had concluded that it "was not good science" and would "mislead the public" and noted that "winter storms were very different from hurricanes". [23] At the time the NWS made no comment about the naming system but noted that they did not name winter storms. [23]
After TWC named its first system in November 2012, the NWS Eastern Region headquarters reminded its forecast offices that it didn't name Winter Storms, however, the NWS Weather Forecast Office in Buffalo, New York unofficially named six systems after the fact during the winter of 2012-13. [24] [25] After reading a headline entitled "Brutus expected to bury Bozeman" students at the Bozeman High School in Montana reached out to TWC and provided them with four years worth of classical Latin and Greek names as they wanted to raise awareness of the language. [26] [27] During the season, TWC did not use any quantitative method to name the systems and started to use the names provided by the Bozeman high school after it had exhausted the list of names that it had preselected. [28] [29] After the season had ended, TWC reviewed the systems it had assigned a name to and felt that 90% of the systems deserved to be named, based on the impacts they had on a regional/national basis. [29] They also determined that the project had been a success after over a billion impressions were recorded on Twitter and numerous schools, agencies and media outlets had started to use it. [30] As a result, they decided to use the named storms of 2012-13 as a benchmark and developed a quantitative method for deciding when to name future storms, which they entitled the Integrated Meteorological Population and Area Calculation Tool (IMPACT). [31] This tool allowed TWC to calculate the population and area that is forecast to be impacted by a winter storm, based on thresholds set by the NWS for winter weather warnings and advisories. [29] [31]
As a result, they decided that they would name a storm during the 2013-14 season if it was forecast to impact over 10 million people or 1,000,000 km2 (390,000 sq mi), however, it was noted that the storm naming committee could override the guidance in certain circumstances. [31] Over the next few years, TWC continued to develop the science behind their naming scheme and collaborated with the Latin class at Bozeman High School to release a new set of 26 names each year. [30] [32] [33] Ahead of the winter of 2015-16, the United Kingdom's Met Office and the Irish Met Éireann announced that they would start naming winter storms, in order to take control and inject authority into a messy situation where the media was using a variety of names for weather events.
The U.S. government-operated National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (a division of which—the National Hurricane Center —has named hurricanes for many years), and its main division—the National Weather Service (NWS)—did not acknowledge TWC's winter storm names and asked its forecast offices to refrain from using the TWC names. [34] In a November 2012 memo, it requested that its employees avoid referring to storms by name. [19] NWS spokesperson Susan Buchanan stated, "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." [35] The National Weather Service has stated that "no plans to consider naming winter storms" are in progress. [36]
Private weather forecaster AccuWeather disagreed with the practice of naming winter storms in 2013. AccuWeather president Joel N. Myers stated in February 2013, "The Weather Channel has confused media spin with science and public safety. We [...] have found this is not good science and will mislead the public." [37] [22] In defense of TWC's practice, TWC's Norcross said, "The fact is, a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation." [38] Media organizations such as The New York Times and The Washington Post later stated that they would not use a name such as "Winter Storm Nemo" for the February 2013 nor'easter. [37] [39] However, some outlets such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's office used the Twitter hashtag "#nemo" to refer to the storm. [40] Tom Kines of AccuWeather stated, "The Weather Channel probably names the storms because it gets the publicity." TWC relies on its TV audience and page views for revenue as the weather service is privately owned. [35] Other claims include TWC naming the storms as a form of an advertisement campaign. [41] Other stations/organizations have decided to use their own naming system, which only adds to the confusion that abounds.
Doctoral candidate Adam Rainear from the University of Connecticut stated that the names do not add credibility based on a study he had done on impacts. [18] Rainear argued that hurricane names were adopted as a useful tool for mariners to help warn ships of the storm's path. He points out though, that no "data" supports the notion of The Weather Channel drawing in more people by naming winter storms. [42] The AP Stylebook issued an update in 2018 advising that "Major storm names provided by government weather agencies, the European Union or World Meteorological Organization are acceptable." then went on to say "Do not use names created by private agencies or other organizations." This change affects news and media sources that rely on The Associated Press. [43]
During 2017 an ad-hoc subcommittee of the American Meteorological Society's Committee on the Effective Communication of Water and Climate Information investigated the naming of winter storms, in order to see if the United States weather enterprise and National Weather Service should adopt a winter storm naming process. [44] The Committee requested and received presentations on The Weather Channel's naming scheme, Social Science and Named Winter Storms, Differing perceptions of Hurricanes and Nor’easters and two on Met Éireann and the United Kingdom's Met Office's naming scheme. [44] The committee also consulted with the NWS who noted that collaboration would be needed with Canada and Mexico, while the agency that named the systems would need to be neutral. [45] The NWS also noted that its participation in any research did not imply an endorsement of the naming scheme or commitment to an operational change and that it did not have any plans to invest any money in this area. [45]
The committee subsequently found that there was no strong evidence that naming winter storms enhanced safety and that the major intent behind naming winter storms was to help communications with the general public and decision-makers. [44] Members of the committee subsequently commented that they felt better informed after these presentations, but were not able to come to a consensus on if the United States weather enterprise should adopt a naming process for winter storms. [45] In particular, members felt like they needed more information before they could make an informed opinion and suggested that further research was needed around the naming criteria, why and how the TWC names are used and into any potential harm of naming weather systems. [45] They also suggested that the issue should be moved up to either the AMS Board on Enterprise Communication or the AMS Board of Best Practices. [45]
The Weather Channel (TWC) is an American pay television channel owned by Weather Group, LLC, a subsidiary of Allen Media Group. The channel's headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Launched on May 2, 1982, the channel broadcasts weather forecasts and weather-related news and analysis, along with documentaries and entertainment programming related to weather. A sister network, Weatherscan, was a digital cable and satellite service that offered 24-hour automated local forecasts and radar imagery. Weatherscan was officially shut down on December 12, 2022. The Weather Channel also produces outsourced weathercasts, notably for CBS News and RFD-TV.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian west poleward to the 30th parallel north in the northeast Pacific Ocean and the 31st parallel north in the northern Atlantic Ocean. The agency, which is co-located with the Miami branch of the National Weather Service, is situated on the campus of Florida International University in University Park, Miami, Florida.
The National Weather Service (NWS) is an agency of the United States federal government that is tasked with providing weather forecasts, warnings of hazardous weather, and other weather-related products to organizations and the public for the purposes of protection, safety, and general information. It is a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) branch of the Department of Commerce, and is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, within the Washington metropolitan area. The agency was known as the United States Weather Bureau from 1890 until it adopted its current name in 1970.
Tropical cyclones and subtropical cyclones are named by various warning centers to simplify communication between forecasters and the general public regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. The names are intended to reduce confusion in the event of concurrent storms in the same basin. Once storms develop sustained wind speeds of more than 33 knots, names are generally assigned to them from predetermined lists, depending on the basin in which they originate. Some tropical depressions are named in the Western Pacific, while tropical cyclones must contain a significant amount of gale-force winds before they are named in the Southern Hemisphere.
Tropical cyclone warnings and watches are alerts issued by national weather forecasting bodies to coastal areas threatened by the imminent approach of a tropical cyclone of tropical storm or hurricane intensity. They are notices to the local population and civil authorities to make appropriate preparation for the cyclone, including evacuation of vulnerable areas where necessary. It is important that interests throughout the area of an alert make preparations to protect life and property, and do not disregard it on the strength of the detailed forecast track.
The Weather Prediction Center (WPC), located in College Park, Maryland, is one of nine service centers under the umbrella of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP), a part of the National Weather Service (NWS), which in turn is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the U.S. Government. Until March 5, 2013, the Weather Prediction Center was known as the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center (HPC). The Weather Prediction Center serves as a center for quantitative precipitation forecasting, medium range forecasting, and the interpretation of numerical weather prediction computer models.
James D. Cantore is an American meteorologist. He is best known as an on-air personality for The Weather Channel.
Storm Stories is an American non-fiction television series that airs on The Weather Channel (TWC) and Zone Reality. It is hosted and narrated by meteorologist and storm tracker Jim Cantore. Storm Stories showcases various types of severe weather, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, rain, floods, etc. Each episode features a famous severe storm, and survivors of it sharing their experiences. The program also features footage of the storm if it is available, but typically a re-enactment is used instead. The video of the storm is often shown while the survivors offer their accounts of it. Often, TWC would air a special week dedicated to one specific type of storm.
This article describes severe weather terminology used by the National Weather Service (NWS) in the United States, a government agency operating within the Department of Commerce as an arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
A Pacific hurricane is a tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regions: the eastern, central, and western, while the southern Pacific is divided into 2 sections, the Australian region and the southern Pacific basin between 160°E and 120°W. Identical phenomena in the western north Pacific are called typhoons. This separation between the two basins has a practical convenience, however, as tropical cyclones rarely form in the central north Pacific due to high vertical wind shear, and few cross the dateline.
Severe weather is any dangerous meteorological phenomenon with the potential to cause damage, serious social disruption, or loss of human life. These vary depending on the latitude, altitude, topography, and atmospheric conditions. High winds, hail, excessive precipitation, and wildfires are forms and effects, as are thunderstorms, downbursts, tornadoes, waterspouts, tropical cyclones, and extratropical cyclones. Regional and seasonal phenomena include blizzards (snowstorms), ice storms, and duststorms.
Weekend Now was a weekend weather program on The Weather Channel that aired from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Eastern time on Saturdays and Sundays. The program, which originally featured unique segments including world weather, lifestyle-oriented weather, and light weather news, debuted in 2001 as the first of multiple weekend programs on The Weather Channel.
Weather system naming in Europe follows several multinational schemes under the EUMETNET framework. On the north Atlantic coast, the United Kingdom's Met Office, in collaboration with its Irish counterpart Met Éireann and, since 2019, its Dutch counterpart the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), decided to introduce a storm naming system following the St Jude's day storm on 27–28 October 2013 which caused 17 deaths in Europe and the 2013–14 Atlantic winter storms in Europe to give a single, authoritative naming system to prevent confusion with the media and public using different names for the same storms. The first European windstorm to be named was Abigail on 10 November 2015. The definitive list is combined from suggestions from the three countries.
The 2012–13 North American winter started out somewhat early, as the remnants of Hurricane Sandy brought heavy snow to the mountains of West Virginia in late October. Later, a strong nor'easter affected the weary Northeastern United States, hampering storm recovery efforts and dropping several inches of snow. The rest of the winter featured several other notable events, such as a Christmas winter storm that affected most of the Eastern United States, and the most notable event occurring in early February, when a powerful blizzard struck the Northeast and brought record snow to some areas. During the winter, a weak El Nino was expected to influence weather conditions across the continent.
The 2009–10 North American winter saw several major blizzards affect the Northeastern United States. It refers to winter as it occurred across the North American continent from late 2009 to early 2010. While there is no well-agreed-upon date used to indicate the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, there are two definitions of winter which may be used. Based on the astronomical definition, winter begins at the winter solstice, which in 2009 occurred on December 21, and ends at the March equinox, which in 2010 occurred on March 20. Based on the meteorological definition, the first day of winter is December 1 and the last day February 28. Both definitions involve a period of approximately three months, with some variability.
The 2010–11 North American winter was influenced by an ongoing La Niña, seeing winter storms and very cold temperatures affect a large portion of the Continental United States, even as far south as the Texas Panhandle. Notable events included a major blizzard that struck the Northeastern United States in late December with up to 2 feet (24 in) of snowfall and a significant tornado outbreak on New Year's Eve in the Southern United States. By far the most notable event was a historic blizzard that impacted areas from Oklahoma to Michigan in early February. The blizzard broke numerous snowfall records, and was one of the few winter storms to rank as a Category 5 on the Regional Snowfall Index. In addition, Oklahoma set a statewide low temperature record in February.
The 2020–21 North American winter was the most significant winter season to affect North America in several years, and the costliest on record, with a damage total of at least $33.35 billion. The season featured six storms ranking on the Regional Snowfall Index scale (RSI), with four storms ranking as at least a Category 3. Most of the winter's damage and fatalities occurred due to a historic and major cold wave in mid-February. Several other significant events occurred, including a crippling early-season ice storm in the Southern Plains, a powerful nor'easter in mid-December, another major nor'easter in early February, two major and widespread winter storms in mid-February, and a major blizzard in the Rocky Mountains in mid-March. The winter-related events were responsible for at least 358 fatalities, making it the deadliest season since 1992–93. A La Niña pattern influenced much of the winter in North America.
The 2021–22 North American winter was not as significant and record-breaking as the previous winter season. Despite this, several notable and significant events still occurred, including two separate record-breaking tornado outbreaks in mid-December, a significant winter storm in the South in mid-January, a powerful blizzard that impacted the Northeast coast at the end of January and a wide-ranging, significant winter storm that affected most of the eastern half of the country in early February. Additional significant events included a late-season winter storm in March that affected the Appalachian Mountains, and a major blizzard that affected North and South Dakota in mid-April. Additionally, a very late out-of-season snowstorm struck the Rocky Mountains in late May. During the season, four storms have been ranked on the Regional Snowfall Index (RSI), although none attained the “Major” category. Similar to the previous winter, a developing La Niña was expected to influence weather patterns across the continent.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2018.
The following is a list of weather events that occurred in 2017.