On Thursday, the Weather Channel released the list of names it will use to identify 2017-2018 winter storms And if you know a kid born in or after the year 2000, you might feel like one or more of these upcoming storms is living in your house.
Jaxon. Skylar. Dylan. Riley. Aiden. They're names you might see on a third-grade soccer roster.
Oliver. Quinn. Liam. Ethan. Toby. Violet. Once they might've been your grandparents, but now they're so trendy the kids bearing them probably have to use initials to mark their Minecraft Creeper backpacks.
Winter Storm Names for the 2017-2018 season have officially been released: https://t.co/RFrXoFsRSU pic.twitter.com/rfiPKh2yIo
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) October 5, 2017
The Weather Channel started naming major winter storms in 2011, and it's similar but not related to the hurricane and tropical storm names assigned by the United Nations World Meteorological Organization. The names aren't officially sanctioned by any government body, but the channel uses them when reporting on weather events.
While the hurricane names are a mix of grandparent names (Irma, Harvey) and more common monikers (Sean, Cindy), the winter storm names could've come straight off a what-to-name-your-baby list from 2007. People noticed.
Did you survey white people in Brooklyn to get these?
— Jeff Fecke 🇻🇮 🇵🇷 (@jkfecke) October 5, 2017
This list looks like the roster for my kid's 3rd grade class.
— oufenix (D) (@oufenix) October 5, 2017
@RemyMa43 millennial moms got naming rights
— Brandon 🐋 Magner (@BrandonMagner) October 5, 2017
i played lacrosse with like six of these storms.
— Jane Coaston (@cjane87) October 5, 2017
Winter storm Grayson's dad is no longer allowed within 100 yards of youth soccer events
— Matt Duffy (@iammattduff) October 5, 2017
Pretty sure these are all names of characters in the Gilmore Girls reboot https://t.co/jgY8fEhNaR
— Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) October 5, 2017
I like Xanto's brother Xanax
— Brian Inskeep (@bri503) October 5, 2017
They all pack artisanal cheeses in their organically sourced, ethically made lunchboxes
— Kathryn (@Kathryn8711) October 5, 2017
These are the names of people likely to survive a winter storm wearing Patagonia and driving Audi SUVs.
— Denver Tribe Backers (@MileHighBrowns) October 5, 2017
half of these storms would like to speak to your manager
— cs (@cschrader) October 5, 2017
I invited all these kids to my son birthday party last year 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/0etuS0vgJp
— Beastmode1987 (@badbia1987) October 5, 2017
These are terrible. Pick these names instead for peak 2017 pic.twitter.com/yrm11gziTL
— Irish Moxie (@lisamcguire1) October 5, 2017
Some people were either thrilled or horrified to find their own names on the list.
I could never find a key chain with my name on it, but somehow made the list of Winter Storms #allthewayup
— Kalani Baughman (@kalanidb) October 5, 2017
Finally my name gets recognized for something besides being a pig... and it happens to be a natural disaster. https://t.co/7cNeKanFWx
— Wilbur DeLashmet (@wilburdelashmet) October 5, 2017
Oh yessir I am a storm
— Skylar Chavis🌻 (@skylarchavis) October 5, 2017
I don’t know how to feel.
— Quinn Sandham (@mightypocketcow) October 5, 2017
Some took the Weather Channel to task for naming storms at all.
Whose idea was it to name winter storms? Grrr pic.twitter.com/BKRtt1F8FF
— Columbus Neon 🌐 (@ColumbusNeon) October 5, 2017
Nothing "official" about the release. The weather channel isn't an "official" source of information. Winter Storm Names are not NWS approved
— Clay Graves (@clay_dar) October 5, 2017
Do not fall for this. Winter storms do not get names. This is Weather Channel marketing. https://t.co/a2qtoaLZzI
— Halloween Name TK (@joshsternberg) October 5, 2017
But maybe the most (least?) popular name on the list was Winter Storm Toby, which reminded fans of "The Office" of a certain HR manager who drove Michael Scott crazy.
When you see Toby could be coming back as a storm pic.twitter.com/G7juSXAP3C
— brentlyhowell (@bhowell57) October 5, 2017
Michael Scott will crush Toby! #TheOffice pic.twitter.com/f7XGT7n9Ag
— AndyCohensFanPage (@LoveAndyC) October 5, 2017
Why do you always gotta do the man like that? pic.twitter.com/kFUWAjYZWH
— Tyler Z. Smith 🤙🏻 (@T_Shitty) October 5, 2017