Winter Storm Jonas has been making headlines for days and it got me wondering—why the name Jonas?
The naming of winter storms is a relatively new idea, initiated by The Weather Channel in 2012.
They enlisted the help of The Bozeman, Montana, High School Latin class for their 2013-2014 list and this year, the two worked together on the list of names.
In October, The Weather Channel released the full list of names for this winter season. While there are several mythological names on the list like Delphi (ancient Greek city) and Xenos (Greek word meaning ‘stranger’ or ‘alien), there’s also Yolo, which is an acronym standing for You Only Live Once, a phrase that went viral in 2012.
The Jonas Brothers had a lot of fun with the fact that a winter storm bore the same name as them. Here’s our favorite Tweet from the brothers.
Here I come. #WINTERSTORMJONAS pic.twitter.com/nG5CWU9ycH
— J O E J O N A S (@joejonas) January 22, 2016
How Did Naming Winter Storms Become a Thing?
Many of us know have heard meteorologists refer to hurricanes with a proper name. This practice goes back to 1950 and there are specific guidelines to follow in the naming of a hurricane. The World Meteorological Organization generates and maintains the list of hurricane names.
But, as mentioned earlier, naming winter storms didn’t start until 2012, when a winter storm threatened the Northeast just a few days after Hurricane Sandy. The Weather Channel named the Winter Storm Athena. And they received a lot of backlash for it too.
PHOTOS: Snow Day“Naming of hurricanes makes sense because they are well-defined storms following a path that can be tracked and predicted. Hurricanes have a life of many days and often weeks, move deliberately, and primarily affect a well-defined area of impact in all four quadrants, centered around the Eye-Path™.
By contrast, winter storms are often erratic, affecting different areas unevenly. Winter storms often develop, dissipate, and reform with two to three centers, often delivering snow in only one quadrant, while places not too far away from a blizzard may experience rain or fog, or nothing at all. As a result, the public will not know what action to take when there is a ‘named’ storm, or may take the wrong action,” said Accuweather.com.
Despite disagreements on the topic, many broadcasters use the name that The Weather Channel chooses; therefore, many of us do too.
According to winter weather expert Tom Niziol of The Weather Channel, there were 22 named winter storms in the 2014-2015 season, compared to 26 named storms in 2013-2014 and 27 storms in 2012-2013.
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