Space Weather Seen through the Public Eye of Social and Broadcast Media

The paradigm shift that space weather is real, relevant, and knowable to a general audience is not as impossible as once imagined. Although it remains an extremely difficult topic to convey, new modes of communicating space weather to a very eager public are becoming available. Among the most visible pathways are through broadcast and social media. By formatting space weather forecasts in a similar way as traditional weather forecasts and by showing impacts on industry and the public, outreach and education efforts are making headway. This talk outlines the preliminary success of this methodology, defines the public beneficiaries of these forecasts, and demonstrates the intersection of heliospheric science, meteorology, and public use of space weather information in a real-world example. The recent confluence of extreme terrestrial weather and extreme space weather events during September 2017 illustrates a new kind of a “perfect storm” in our modern world. Examples like these illustrate why space weather is such a critical component of modern weather and highlight how we are revolutionizing public perception and consumption of space weather science.