winter with all the blizzards, we informally dubbed bigger storms like remember snowmageddon and carmageddon and everything else? however if you've checked out the weather channel recently you probably realized they started naming some storms on their own. the most recent nor'easter they called it athena. 9news now meteorologist erica grow has more on that decision and the reaction that's coming from it. >> reporter: earlier this year, the weather channel announced that it will give names to winter storms that in their words -- will produce significant effects on a populated area. their theory is that if a storm has a name it will be taken more seriously by the public. the network is not setting any specific guidelines like snow amounts for the storms but they're going to get names like brutus, magnus and plato. this is the first time a national company has attempted to name storms. but local tv stations wfsb in hartford, connecticut has been naming storms for more than 40 years. the meteorologist mark dixon says the station will only name a storm if it's expected to bring at least 6 inches

to give a shout out to my dad too who was texting me when we announced on the show and he liked carmageddon with with a k. i thought that was clever and i'm going to have to add one to the list too which is fiscal cliff hanger because maybe we won't know exactly what's going on with lawmakers work on the deal because of changes to access at least that's how it seems from what christine is telling me so christine what is going on with with access at a crucial time when everybody wants to know exactly what's going on with the fiscal cliff negotiations well a couple things i mean just in terms of basically what's happened today there's a vote scheduled this afternoon this evening for six thirty pm eastern all day today one of the main press stakeout location statuary hall totally closed to the press and then the other main closed to the press and that's unusual right i mean i want to leave and then i'm going to be in kind of it could be a number of reasons and then the other place that you know i often go to stand with the camera man or by myself to talk to some of these lawmakers to just kind

a few years ago there was snowmageddon and carmageddon and we just experienced superstorm sandy, but does that mean these names should be official? earlier this year the weather channel announced that it will give names to winter storms that in their words will produce significant effect on a populated area. their theory is if a storm has a name, it will be taken more seriously by the public. the network is not sending any specific guidelines such as snow amounts for these storms, but they'll get names like brutus and plato. this is the furr time a national company has -- first time a national company has attempted to name storms, but some local stations in hartford, connecticut has been naming storms more than 40 years. wssb says the station will only name a storm if it's expected to bring more than 6 inches of snow or at least 1/2-inch of ice to their viewers. today's coastal storage doesn't make the cut and dixon said his station won't be calling it athena either. so what if a storm named after a greek god or goddess ends up being an epic dud? we'll find out sooner or later. the w

carmageddon. >> but however if you've checked out the weather channel in the last 24 hours, you probablynow that they named this nor'easter that came up the east coast, they called it athena. why are they doing that? erica grow has more on the decision and the reaction to why they're doing it. >> reporter: earlier this year, at the weather channel announced that it will give names to winter storms that in their words -- will produce significant effects on a populated area. their theory is that if a storm has a name it will be taken more seriously by the public. the network is not setting any specific guidelines such as snow amounts for the storms but they will get names like brutus, magnus and plato. this is the first time a national company has attempted to name storms. but local tv station wfsb in hartford, connecticut has been naming winter storms for more than 40 years. >> for quite some time. >> reporter: the meteorologist mark dixon says the station will only name a storm if it's expected to bring 6-inches of snow or at least a half inch of ice to the viewers. dixon said the statio