An Analysis of Social Media Services at NWS Louisville to Enhance Forecast Operations and High-Impact Weather Event Decision Support

Social media has quickly become an integral part of daily communication in the 21st Century. The National Weather Service (NWS) began using social media several years ago to increase public awareness of many weather-related phenomena. Since then, social media has become one of our mainstream techniques to effectively communicate hazardous weather risk to the public and partnering agencies.

This study uses analytic data to assess the effectiveness of NWS Louisville's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube posts from early 2014 to present. Social media posts up to a week in advance of specific high-impact events (severe weather/tornado outbreaks, heavy snow, flash flooding, etc.) are examined for their overall reach and engagement. In addition, the effectiveness of NWS hazard and risk communication also is analyzed through a survey of NWS partners and members of the public.

Based on research findings, best practices are identified to optimize social media services in NWS operations before, during, and after significant events to maximize user awareness and response. These practices include a suggested timeline for posts, as well as guidance on content and preferred social media platform. Findings from this study have direct applicability to many NWS offices.