NWS Twitter Accounts to Become Operational

The National Weather Service announced Tuesday morning that their Twitter accounts will officially become operational October 31st. After experimenting with the social media site for the past few years, NWS decided to continue using Twitter as a supplemental outlet for weather information. This change could facilitate a partnership between the National Weather Service and Twitter, with the possibility of severe weather Twitter alerts in the future (Capital Weather Gang).

Here’s a snippet from the Service Change Notice sent out by the NWS Headquarters on Tuesday:

Use of Twitter will provide a complementary means to disseminate important information about hazardous weather conditions. The posts will also be used for public outreach and education and to direct users to official NWS Web sites.

With more and more people turning to social media for information, the National Weather Service’s decision to become operational on Twitter was a smart move. The National Weather Service has grown since they began experimenting a few years ago, with 130 accounts and over a million followers. They are, however, a bit concerned that Twitter may switch over to an algorithm similar to Facebook, making the spread of urgent weather news difficult. Overall, the National Weather Service hopes to continue to use Twitter for means of outreach, education, and information.