I think its a combination of both your thoughts and the OP. Using words like “collapsing” is sensationalist garbage for something that happens most years and instills fear regarding climate change. But now we have names (as in proper nouns) for every small drop of precipitation, thats purely for selling eyeballs. Also missed calls for lots of snow have been a thing forever. The exact line between inches of snow and a little rain or nothing is tough to pin down. I remember 25 years ago being off school because of a big snow that never came. Thats not a new phenomenon.