The National Weather Service (NWS) Cheyenne Forecast Office hosted the inaugural meeting of its Integrated Warning Team on February 2. The team is made up of partners from the local, state and federal level along with the private sector, all of whom are concerned with informing the public on impending weather threats. The NWS is utilizing the team to seek input on existing products and to hear suggestions for new ones.
One of the highlights of the session was a briefing on social media engagement that NWS Cheyenne has been utilizing. The office has used Facebook and Twitter to interact more directly with the public and has seen continued spikes in followers in the aftermath of major weather events. They are also able to receive reports and real-time information from citizens to supplement or validate forecasts and other communications.
The session also included a lively discussion on the type of information and format the NWS provides to its various customers. In recent years, a major focus has been made on providing more context to forecasts, particularly in the form of impacts. Watches and warnings are also providing more detailed information, such as the affect an event might have on travel, or how it might impact specific industries like farming and ranching. These more comprehensive products can help to save lives and property.
The NWS also has several other outreach and preparedness programs that can educate and build capacity within our communities. Each spring, they conduct classes as part of the Skywarn program that help to educate citizens on storm spotting. Storm spotters are important as they can provide information and data from a wider area than radar and other instruments, especially important in more isolated areas like rural Wyoming.
While technology is an important part of the weather forecast and warning toolkit, no resource is more important than people. NWS Cheyenne is using the Integrated Warning Team to best harness that potential to create safer communities in Wyoming and the Nebraska Panhandle.
For more info: NWS Cheyenne