Even weather cannot be ordinary any more

There is nothing like a name or a nickname to personalise the weather, especially bad weather. If hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons have names now, there is no reason for blizzards to be left out. More so if they happen to envelop unexpected areas and are often the inspiration for cinematic interpretations of icy dystopias. Merely calling snowy weather ‘winter’ leaves people cold these days. Little wonder then that the current ‘polar vortex’ offshoot freezing Europe has been given different names by various countries, such as ‘Siberian bear’ by the Dutch and ‘Snow Cannon’ by the Swedes.

But these monikers hardly inspire even a shiver. The British nickname for this extreme cold spell is far more chilling and evocative: Beast from the East. Given that the snow-bearing storm has swept in from northern Russia, the name may also have a political dimension for the spooked west. However, for the average shivering Briton, the monster storm conjures up visions of a gigantic and vengeful White Walker or Abominable Snowman, depending on age groups.

Giving weather a personality in these times of visuals and emotions is a no-brainer. Being pounded by the Beast from the East certainly sounds more dramatic than merely getting snowbound; getting ‘snow-bombed’ is more likely these days. Even the weather cannot afford to be ordinary any more.