'Full-scale assault': The Weather Channel is about to make a major shift in its coverage

The Weather Channel is planning major changes to its coverage to focus on the impact of climate change.

The network has addressed the topic for years, but chief content officer and executive vice president Nora Zimmett said The Weather Channel would make the link between climate change and daily forecasts more explicit to viewers, reported the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

"Our viewers are seeing it on their doorsteps," Zimmett told the newspaper. "It's impacting them in ways never before seen. Industries such as farming are saying they have never seen such crazy weather patterns. Many natural disasters are being linked to climate change. The evidence has become overwhelming. Young people are shouting about it on the rooftops."

Viewers previously were less interested in the link between climate change and weather patterns, but Zimmett said Millennials and Generation Z are much more interested in the topic than Baby Boomers and Generation X.

"American sentiment only recently caught up with the urgency of the issue," Zimmett said. "Years ago, our audience didn't want to hear about it. They are much more interested in it now."

The Weather Channel has created an advisory board of scientists, doctors and journalists to help steer coverage on the topic, and many of its staff meteorologists are returning to school for masters degrees on climate research.

"It's not because they're out of date," Zimmett said. "It's only a recent discipline. This is a full-scale assault on this topic."

The network's coverage won't hype fear or "show the globe is burning," Zimmett said, but will try to focus on proactive solutions.

"Our overall tone will set us apart," she said. "We're not giving up. We're not throwing our arms up and saying all hope is lost. The science has shown that is not the case."