Everyone always is hearing about the next hurricane that is going to hit the Gulf of Mexico or talking about the last one that came through and did some significant damage. Of course all the these are “named” weather it’s Katrina, Andrew, or something else they stick in our minds due to being plastered all over the news continually for several years after they happen.

Now the Weather Channel is starting to name winter storms, so people can say “remember tony?” instead of “that blizzard in 1991 was a doozie!” Their claim is that it will somehow raise awareness of/make safer these winter storms. I don’t agree. I think they are using it more as an opportunity to market the Weather Channel brand because they are naming them. Other than referencing them as people, I do not believe that it will help anything at all, but rather raise panic levels that anything that has a name will shutdown schools and cause serious property damage.

After yesterday it is easy to see that even a little bit of rain can cause numerous car accidents and make people be late for work… maybe we should name any sort of precipitation. What are your thoughts? Does it matter to you if something is named or not? Or does it cause unnecessary panic?