Governor Maggie Hassan wants to coordinate winter storm updates on Twitter.
But in doing that, she’s also acknowledged a storm naming convention that’s been somewhat controversial in the world of meteorology.
Hassan is encouraging people and media outlets to use the hasthag #NemoNH when tweeting information about the storm.
“@NHPatch, please encourage your sites to use #NemoNH tag, thank you,” Hassan tweeted earlier today.
When asked about the decision, Hassan Spokesman Marc Goldberg said the governor wanted to ensure consistent communication to help resident receive updates on the storm.
“We had seen a variety of hashtags being used and felt providing direction would help those on social media follow the information about the storm,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg said Hassan is also encouraging people to use the hashtag #NHwx
As it turns out, the name of the storm has been a bit controversial.
It was actually created by The Weather Channel. Brian Stelter of the New York Times writes about the history of the name, and notes even New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is using Nemo.
The National Weather Service is not recognizing The Weather Channel’s newly designed naming system, and has even advised forecasters not to play along.
So far, Hassan’s effort seems to be working.
“#NemoNH update: We’ll be open til 2pm today; CLOSED on Saturday. Open for Jazz Brunch on Sunday! Stay safe and warm!” tweets the Currier Museum in Manchester.
However, Hassan’s decision caught the attention of Ryan Breton, a meteorology student at Penn State who does forecasts for the Merrimack Valley region.
“Embarrassed that @GovernorHassan is having people use #NemoNH as a hashtag. The Weather Channel must be happy though. #NHwx,” Bretton tweeted earlier today, using the handle @RyanBrettonWX.
