Weather is just sexier now to show on the news because we are able to catch raw and captivating video like never before. Everyone has a smart phone and can send it to a news network.
I will say that when the national news shows clips of severe weather as a headline, you'd think the weather has gone wild, but to me it looks like what summer weather brings lol. But to Jane and John Doe it might not. But that's just how it is. Footage of severe weather captivates people.