HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — On April 1, the National Weather Service announced it would be pausing an AI Translation Project due to a contract lapse.
The project included the translation of critical weather alerts from English to Spanish in 30 local offices along with the National Hurricane Center.
On Friday, April 25, the NWS announced the contract had been reinstated, allowing the project to become operational once again.
The National Weather Service’s contract to produce common language translations for NWS products has been reinstated. Translation capabilities are expected to be operational on or before the end of the day on Tuesday, April 29.
National Weather Service
The purpose of the project was to effectively communicate hazards and weather information to communities with limited English proficiency. During severe weather outbreaks and threats of tornadoes, this technology will be lifesaving to communities.
The local NWS Office in Huntsville was not one of the 30 offices that participated in the project.
How NWS Huntsville Provides Multi-Language Alerts
The NWS in Huntsville has provided weather alerts in English and Spanish for the Tennessee Valley for more than two years. This valuable information is what helps save lives during a severe weather event.
Todd Barron, Meteorologist in Charge at the NWS Office in Huntsville, said the mission of the NWS is to protect life and property.
“Any time that we put out a tornado warning, a severe thunderstorm warning, or a flash flood warning, that automatically creates a graphic on a map that shows where the warning is, who’s impacted, and how long it’s valid for,” says Barron.
These alerts will automatically be posted to X, but during a significant weather event or if there is a confirmed tornado, they will repost it on Facebook.
“Everyone needs to have multiple ways to receive watch and warning information,” added Barron.
Along with the automatic weather alerts that are posted to X, the NWS provides preparedness graphics on its website. This includes Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Flooding, Preparedness, and more.
To find weather-related preparedness graphics in English on the NWS website, click here. To find weather-related preparedness graphics in Spanish on the NWS website, click here.
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