Recent changes to Twitter to reduce free access to systems that allow for automated tweets are expected to have a big effect on the ability of the National Weather Service to notify people of impending storms or other weather-related disasters, according to an article in The Washington Post. Expected to go into effect on April 29th, the new policy will limit free accounts to no more than 1500 automated tweets a month, or 50 a day, which are amounts the NWS regularly exceeds during significant weather events. The NWS has also indicated Twitter has informed them no exceptions will be made for individual accounts.
While manual tweets will still be allowed without limit, the National Weather Service has indicated each of these would take additional time, at a point where speed may be critical for those in affected areas. While the NWS notes that Twitter is only one of many platforms they use for notifying people of impending threats, it is an important one, as it allows for rapid retweeting of information, or embedding within other websites, so as to amplify the level of notifications.
Says James Spann, chief meteorologist for ABC 33/40 in Birmingham, Alabama, of the usefulness of the ability to send automated Tweets, despite not using them himself, “It’s an important tool, and I don’t want it to go away. I want it to be robust, and I want it to be reliable,” noting during the recent tornados, “the biggest issue we had is people not getting the warning.”
Source:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/04/13/twitter-warnings-national-weather-service/
