The Nemo PR Storm
Excerpt:
"This is more of a PR stunt by the Weather Channel. It's not something the government is running with," said Thomas Downs, a meteorologist with Weather 2000. "There's not really a hold-fast criteria to determine when to name it like there is with hurricanes and tropical storms."
He speculates that because the Weather Channel is owned by NBCUniversal, stations owned by that company will be the most enthusiastic about using the name.
"A named storm should be a hurricane, and only a hurricane" said George Wright, a meteorologist and the founder of Wright Weather Consulting in New York. "A hurricane is something that's more unusual and devastating. If you start naming other storms, people will suddenly think this might be a hurricane."
Joel Meyer, founder and president of AccuWeather, a Weather Channel competitor, issued a statement this fall blasting the Weather Channel for its decision.
"In unilaterally deciding to name winter storms, the Weather Channel has confused media spin with science and public safety," he said. "We have explored this issue for 20 years and have found that this is not good science and will mislead the public. Winter storms are very different from hurricanes."
Flip over to the Weather Channel, though, and it was Nemo-mania. There are graphics about Nemo's trajectory, stories about Nemo, and a section where viewers can upload their own Nemo photos (of the storm, not the Disney movie). Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/02/09/182543/weather-channel-finding-nemo-is.html#storylink=cpyComment: Nemo = February 2013 nor'easter
When I heard that it was just the Weather Channel that was naming storms, my immediate thought was "more weather sensationalism."
ReplyDeleteThey seem to be the worst at it with their web site too - I've started going elsewhere on the web for the local forecast.