Good question, and one that we went over and tried to model based on things like Google trends and Alexa data for other storm sites.

In the end we found that what you are saying is true--the traffic is extremely spiky. But what we also learned is that there are thousands of people that will traffic these sites all year long. Not millions, but thousands, and if we can monetize those thousands through very appealing memberships and services, that'll be enough to make ends meet for both of us. :)