(KCEN) -- The names Katrina and Andrew likely serve as painful reminders of how destructive nature can be.
Now the Weather Channel is following the National Hurricane Center's lead, with plans to name winter storms.
The Weather Channel says giving storms first names will raise the public's weather awareness and get more people to plan ahead.
According to the Weather Channel, this is already common practice in Europe.
And, in the age of social media, naming could make it easier to get information out.
Along with the announcement came the 2012-2013 name list from a to z, starting with Athena and ending with Zeus.
