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National Weather Service Reinstates Translated Forecast Alerts After Pause

NWS had suspended the service earlier this month after its contract with the AI-translation platform lapsed.
Image: a woman sitting on a beach with stormy weather rolling in; a red flag in the foreground
The National Weather Service has reinstated its contract to provide weather and forecast alerts in languages other than English. Photo by Marina/Adobe Stock
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The National Weather Service has reinstated its contract to provide weather and forecast alerts in languages other than English, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on Thursday.

Earlier this month, NWS suspended its emergency alert translation services after the NOAA's contract with the Lilt AI-translation platform expired on April 1. The halt in service came as high winds and major flooding hit parts of the United States and stoked fears locally that non-English speaking populations would be put at risk, particularly with the annual onset of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially begins on June 1.

In a statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the NOAA said the translation services will be up and running by late Monday, April 28.
In an email to New Times, Erica Grow Cei, public affairs specialist/meteorologist for the NOAA's National Weather Service, writes, "[T]he statement on social media is all we have to provide at this time, but more information will be available early next week."

The NWS had been training the Lilt language model in weather terminology since at least 2023 to provide translated weather alerts and warnings to reach vulnerable populations more quickly and efficiently. The NOAA officially launched the experimental translation website in October 2023, initially with Spanish and Chinese translations. It later expanded to include Vietnamese, French, and Samoan.

"This language translation project will improve our service equity to traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations that have limited English proficiency," Ken Graham, NWS director, said in an October 2023 press release announcing the new service. "By providing weather forecasts and warnings in multiple languages, NWS will improve community and individual readiness and resilience as climate change drives more extreme weather events."

NWS used Lilt to translate forecasts in 30 cities and metropolitan areas nationwide, including South Florida. People could also translate warnings from the National Hurricane Center. The NWS said the website provided translations of weather forecasts, versions of selected NWS weather safety infographics, and a "Watch, Warning, and Advisory" or hazard map available in the supported languages, among other features.

The contract with Lilt, which went into effect in 2023, is valued at nearly $6 million over five years with a renewal option each spring, according to Bloomberg. Before the program launched, agency staff provided manual translations. Lilt says the AI service led to faster weather report publication, lowered the risk of mistranslations, and streamlined the translation process.

As of midday Thursday, April 24, the NWS Product Translations website states, "The translated text product functionality may be interrupted after 3/31/2025. Further details will be provided when available."

Meanwhile, Miami-Dade County and its Department of Emergency Management continue to provide emergency alerts in English, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.