Question: I was reading about "whippoorwill storms," and wondered where these would occur and how the name arose.

Answer: That was a new term for us, but it is defined in the Glossary of Meteorology as the first bad or stormy weather in spring after a period of warm weather. No further etymology is given there regarding origins of the term or where it might be commonly used. It may have arisen due to a warm spell in spring being a favored time of year for beginning to notice whippoorwills calling in the evening.