Multimedia Assistance in Spanish: A New Method to Deliver Critical Weather Information During High Impact Events in Spanish

The Multimedia Assistance in Spanish (MAS) program utilizes the Virtual Operations Support concept to request aid for Spanish television and radio interviews as well as virtual social media support in Spanish when National Weather Service (NWS) Forecast Offices anticipate being overwhelmed due to high impact weather events. MAS utilizes the expertise of fellow NWS meteorologists from around the nation who can translate, speak Spanish, have social media expertise, and interview experience.

A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that Hispanics continue to be one of the largest migrant groups to move to the United States; primarily California, Texas, and New York. Weather hazards across these states could range from wildfires, tropical systems, tornadoes, flooding, and winter storms. Despite the help the MAS team can provide, due to the different culturally diverse dialects, there is still a need for standardizing the vocabulary to project a consistent and concise message. The MAS team and the Storm Prediction Center Spanish Language Initiative are working together to come up with a solution. This presentation will focus on the collaborative work between the Storm Prediction Center and National Weather Service Forecast Offices on standardizing Spanish weather risk terms and the day to day weather vocabulary for the benefit of the Spanish speaking community in the United States.