I agree with this but it seems to be accompanied with much more hyperbole in the (Canadian) media recently. I'm an expat living in China for over a decade and I go back to Canada once a year during the winter. It is interesting to see how the media changes over time and being away from it, you really notice the differences. The weather fluctuates more than it used to and they a do a good job predicting it (although I still get annoyed at 50% chance of anything).
Its the Media Worldwide I think - Headlines need to sex it up - Just before the new year we had reports of a "Weatherbomb" that was about to hit parts of the UK - more like a damp squib that fizzled out fortunately.