Not long ago, one could tune into the Weather Channel for a timely update on regional, national or international weather. Today, its programming is a series of celebrity interviews, lifestyle segments and drama-spiced reality shows, separated by brief "On the Eights" forecasts.
Still helpful during periods of severe weather (if you can ignore the antics of their on-site stuntmen), this popular channel and its well-known celebrities seem to be more focused on entertainment than on the science of meteorology. Their latest gimic, announced this week, is to name winter storms (as we do tropical storms and hurricanes) in an apparent effort to keep viewers interested throughout the bleak season of ice and snow. Not well received by professional meteorologic associations, this marketing tool may be problematic since winter storm systems rarely have the localized, compact circulations of tropical cyclones.
Then again, meteorology is beside the point. If Winter Storm Gus keeps eyes glued to the Weather Channel, the name game will be a success. I can hear the trailer now: "Wake Up with Al for the latest on Winter Storm Rudolph." And, of course, when Jim Cantore stands in a snowdrift, pelted by driving sleet, he'll have a personalized storm to blame.
