The National Weather Service only names hurricanes, not winter storms, so the Weather Channel graciously stepped in last year, much to the annoyance of the NWS. The network began naming winter storm systems at the beginning of winter to raise awareness of the storms and to make it easier to follow a weather system’s progress, according to The Weather Channel’s website. Also, the network believes a named storm is easier to remember and to reference in communications.
Many of the names for 2012-2013 have Greek or Latin origins. TWC tends to prefer names with mythological or literary roots.
Here is the complete list of winter storm names: Athena, Brutus, Caesar, Draco, Euclid, Freyr, Gandolf, Helen, Iago, Jove, Khan, Luna, Magnus, Nemo, Orko, Plato, Q, Rocky, Saturn, Triton, Ukko, Virgil, Walda, Xerxes, Yogi, and Zeus.
2012/2013 Winter Storm Names and Meanings
