How do they name storms? And why do I care?

By Tobi Schwartz-Cassell

When Franks & Beans Team Member Kim Konefsky told me the name of the March 21^st snowstorm, I thought she was joking. But the joke, as it turned out, was on me. Literally.

The name of the winter storm that caused the postponement of our March 21^st event is Toby.

It got me thinking. How are storms named? And who names them? As it turns out, winter storms are named by The Weather Channel.

But according to the National Hurricane Center’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, naming rights for tropical storms and hurricanes is given to an international committee of the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organization.

So why do I care?

When someone names a storm after you, you want to know how and why.

Anyway, unlike me, the storm named for me has turned out to be a real pain in the neck. Let me offer a brief explanation. The winter storm that preceded Toby was Skyler, and the one before Skyler was Riley. It was Riley who caused us to postpone our March 7^th event. To remedy this, we rolled March 7^th into our March 21^st event because, well, what could go wrong?

Now we know. We had to, once again, postpone our March 7^th and 21^st events, and reschedule them for April 19.

(It doesn’t snow in April, right?)

And one more thing. Hey, Weather Channel. I have a bone to pick with you. I had to wait a long time for a storm to be named for me, and you got the spelling wrong. My mom was very specific in how she wanted my name to be spelled. #SeeMyBirthCertificate

Okay. That rant felt good. I hope to see you on April 19^th!

(It doesn’t snow in April, right?)

♥,

PS: Has a storm ever been named for you? If so, which one? Please share your answer in the comments below.

PPS: Check out our twice-postponed event. Did I mention it’s been rescheduled for April 19?