Have TV weather reporters always been so dramatic about the weather, or is this a recent development?

I never paid attention to the weather on the local news as a kid or even as a young adult. I still don’t watch it often, but even the local news websites make every weather event seem like huge deal. Schools close early and cancel activities, every time you turn on the TV or go online you see dire warnings, people run out to stock up on supplies, and then…nothing happens.

Have the weather people always been so dramatic, or is this something that developed gradually to get viewers to tune in? Do you feel the weather reports are reliable, or too overblown to take seriously?