Weather Channel Rolls Out Its Winter Storm Names; Is Yours On The List?

Winter is coming, and The Weather Channel has brought out its annual list of winter storm names.

This is the 10th season that the all-things-weather network has been naming winter storms, using names from A to Z. It started the practice with the 2012-2013 winter season.

That first season TWC worked through its entire list and had to find a second “A” storm when a late-season snowstorm hit the Plains and Midwest.

TWC said that storms get names “based on National Weather Service winter storm warnings, blizzard warnings and ice storm warnings.”

The National Weather Service, however, does not name winter storms. The only storms that have names recognized by NOAA are tropical systems.

Several European counties also name winter storms.

Here are The Weather Channel’s names for the 2021-2022 winter storm season:

Atticus

Bankston

Carrie

Delphine

Elmer

Frida

Garrett

Hatcher

Izzy

Jasper

Kenan

Landon

Miles

Nancy

Oaklee

Phyllis

Quinlan

Rachel

Silas

Tad

Usher

Vega

Willow

Xandy

Yeager

Zion

There were 24 named storms last winter.

The criteria for a storm getting a name is this, according to TWC:

* NWS winter storm, blizzard, or ice storm warnings covering at least a population of 2 million.

* NWS winter storm, blizzard, or ice storm warnings covering at least an area of 400,000 square kilometers, or slightly larger than the state of Montana.

Lake-effect snowstorms are not named.

TWC also said that in the past nine years, the first winter storm has been named as early as the first few days of October to as late as mid-November.

Two named storms formed each of the past two Octobers, and the latest winter storm was named in mid-May.

According to TWC the busiest month for winter storms is February. There have been 53 named winter storms during that month in the past nine seasons. February is followed by January (38) and December (33).

Read more about The Weather Channel’s naming of winter storms here.