The Weather Channel has named Winter Storm Boreas. Into next week, Boreas will affect parts of the Southwest, Southern Plains and possibly the Northeast.

(FORECAST: Winter Storm Boreas)

Below, our Winter Weather Expert Tom Niziol(Twitter | Facebook) explains whyBoreaswas named and where the name Boreasoriginates.

Why The Weather Channel Named This Winter Storm

1. The storm has already approached the population and areal coverage which will be under National Weather Service winter weather thresholds for warnings that our team uses for naming a storm. This is only the beginning of what promises to be a long-lived winter weather system.

2. This is an early season winter event with potential significant impacts for parts of the nation so far south.

3. It is occurring on a weekend before the most heavily-traveled week of the year.

4. There is the potential that this system could re-emerge as a winter weather threat by midweek as it moves east along the Gulf then heads northeast back into air that is cold enough to produce snow in the Northeast.

Where the NameBoreasOriginates

Boreasis derived from the Greek god of "The cold north wind and bringer of winter". What an appropriate term since the first ingredient for this winter event is the arctic air that has already plunged south from Canada.

Boreas fathered two daughters and one wasKhione, the goddess of snow. The other was Cleopatra.

(MORE: Why The Weather Channel is Naming Winter Storms | 2013-2014 Names)

PHOTOS: Winter Storm Atlas - Early October 2013

iWitness Guzva84 captured this photo of mailboxes encased in snow in Spearfish, SD.