The Weather Channel announced earlier this week that they are going to start naming winter storms during the 2012-2013 winter storm season. Notable names include Q, Gandolf, and Yogi. They are the first nationwide weather group to start naming winter storms.

You may be asking yourself why The Weather Channel felt like it was necessary to name winter storms, since they haven’t been named in the past. Europe has been naming winter storms since the 1950s, which has helped them identify certain events. The Weather Channel believes that naming winter storms will help raise awareness and make it easier to follow its progress. They also believe that there will be enough warning ahead of the system developing in order to name it before it wreaks havoc.

Keep in mind, this naming system is not an official National Weather Service decision. It is that of The Weather Channel. Local news stations all over the country may or may not decide to adopt the idea of naming winter storms. Time will tell when the first storms of the season start to form.

For more information, along with a list of names, click the links below.

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