Focusing on whether or not the storm is real is missing the point

I think it's sad that there is even a debate.. and the fact that so many people are convinced the point of the movie is that the storm was real all along points to a serious problem with American film audiences. We have been conditioned to expect a twist ending or some kind of big pay-off. So when we encounter something more metaphysical, we don't know how to process it unless we can create some kind of "wow, didn't see that coming" conclusion.

The storm isn't real… there are only two real storms in the movie, the one the night he and his buddy go to the bar, and the one they go into the shelter for.

All the others are metaphorical and represent his coming slip into schizophrenia.