A winter storm named Rocky? Yo!

What's up with the Weather Channel naming a scourge of winter after a beloved Philly icon?

Yo, can you believe it? The big storm sweeping the country is named Rocky?

As in Rocky Balboa? As in the title boxer of the 1976 best-picture winner? The guy who famously ran up the Art Museum steps to a tune often played at Philly sporting events?

Well, not exactly. Maybe yes. Maybe no.

Even if Rocky's trainer, Mickey, did famously declare, "You're gonna eat lightnin' and you're gonna crap thunder!"

The part about the storm is true. The dumping has taken the form of snow, with more than two feet in Colorado, a foot-and-a-half in parts of Texas and Oklahoma, and a foot or more in parts of Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin, with another foot expected by Friday in Upstate New York and Maine.

Happily, Rocky's swing mostly missed the Philadelphia area, which saw mainly rain.

And, yes, the Weather Channel has been naming winter storms this winter - without any OK by federal forecasters - supposedly "because a storm with a name is easier to follow, which will mean fewer surprises and more preparation."

But, officially, the network's list does not honor Sylvester Stallone's creation at all. (Or even a famous animated flying squirrel.) "Rocky," the list says, refers to "a single mountain in the Rockies."

Excuse us for being skeptical.

First, did you ever hear anyone refer to mountain in Colorado as a "Rocky"?

Oh, look, it's an Appalachian! It's a Pocono!

 Yeah, sure.

Second, let's look at the list. Why, it's full of what, at first blush, seem like pop culture references.

Draco and Luna are well-known Harry Potter characters. Nemo was a finny Pixar star and the sub captain in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Q was a godlike alien on Star Trek and a gizmoteer extraordinaire in the James Bond movies. Yogi was a cartoon bear and a Hall of Fame catcher for the New York Yankees.

But, au contraire, the list declares, these refer to "the first legislator of Athens in Ancient Greece," "the divine embodiment of the moon in Roman mythology," "a Greek boy's name meaning 'from the valley,' " "the Broadway Express subway line in New York City," and "people who do yoga."

Yeah, we believe you.

Yeah, it's all about Greek and Roman mythology or Shakespeare . . . and subway systems.

So here's a forecast. On next winter's list of storm monikers, if Adele, SpongeBob and Wolverine appear, they'll have nothing to do with British singers, cartoons or the X-Men.

Crap thunder, indeed.