These Winter Storms Could Bury Maine, New Hampshire, & Massachusetts

The staff at The Weather Channel has released their list of names that could be used for severe winter storms over the winter of 2026/2027.

A total of 21 names have been selected for the upcoming winter.  They are in alphabetical order, with the exception of the letters that were skipped, of course.

Why Do We Name Winter Storms?

The practice of naming severe winter storms first started in 2012.  Believe it or not, the National Weather Service has nothing to do with naming winter storms.  While the National Weather Service names tropical storms and hurricanes, it is actually the Weather Channel that started naming winter storms.

Obviously, not every storm gets a name.  If they named every storm, we’d go through the list of names in about a month.  In order for a storm to get a name, it must bring widespread, high-impact snow or ice that prompts National Weather Service winter storm, blizzard, or ice storm warnings to qualify for a name.  Naming lists also avoid current Atlantic and eastern Pacific hurricane names for the next six years, along with retired names tied to especially historic or destructive storms.

According to the Weather Channel there are some good reasons why they do this.  You can read more about it on the website.