Since the time of the founding fathers in the 1700s, our nation has been collecting and sharing weather information. In the 1800s, the telegraph allowed news to be spread quickly and led to the development of the National Weather Service, but how can modern social media be used to better communicate hazards and coordinate responses to dangerous events like hurricanes? We’ll explore in the U.S. National Science Foundation’s “Discovery Files”.

In hazardous situations, effectively communicating is essential to saving lives. This process needs to include distributing the warning, having people understand and believe the information and respond in a timely manner.

Researchers at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research have investigated how visual forecasting and communicating warnings evolve in real time leading up to and during a complex disaster viewed through the lens of data from social media posts.

Analyzing data related to two major hurricanes, the researchers found that information communicated in the early stages of storm development, when the threat posed is uncertain, sets the stage for how people react to subsequent warning messages.

By integrating knowledge from hazard warning and weather prediction with risk and crisis communication during a real tropical cyclone event, the researchers were able to advance understanding about the effectiveness of public warnings and alerts.

Along the way, the team identified ways authoritative sources, such as the National Weather Service and broadcast meteorologists can better engage atrisk community members and effectively help save more lives during emergencies.