The New York Times' New "Extreme Weather" Newsletter: Enhancing Climate Change Awareness
In an era where extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe due to the warming climate, understanding and staying informed about weather risks has become increasingly important. The New York Times recognizes this growing concern and has launched a groundbreaking newsletter aimed at providing readers with personalized information about extreme weather. The newsletter, named "Your Places: Extreme Weather," allows readers to opt in and receive morning emails explaining the level and type of extreme weather risks in up to four different locations of their choice within the continental United States. Whether it's where readers live, where their loved ones reside, or places they plan to visit, the newsletter offers crucial insights into potential weather hazards.
The newsletter ensures readers are well-informed and prepared by providing a concise summary of the risk levels associated with excessive rain, tornadoes, high winds, or hail. By consolidating and simplifying National Weather Service designations, the newsletter makes it easier for readers to grasp the severity of the risks involved.
“We were talking about how incredibly accurate they [the National Weather Service’s ‘multi-day outlooks’] are, and how no one is really using that data to its full potential,” John Keefe said. “To our knowledge, we weren’t aware of anybody doing it like that — where you could say, ‘Hey, let me know when one of these blobs, basically, is over a city I care about.”
What sets this newsletter apart is its accessibility. Unlike other premium content, the extreme weather newsletter is free for everyone, regardless of whether they are subscribers to the Times or not. This democratization of vital weather information enables a broader audience to benefit from the service and stay updated on potential risks. While the newsletter is not intended to replace emergency alerts, it serves as a valuable tool to enhance situational awareness. “It’s not an immediate ‘Oh, I need to head to the basement’; it is, ‘Huh, we have this picnic planned for the day after tomorrow, maybe I should reconsider that’ — or travel or whatever it might be, just to be aware,” Keefe said. By receiving daily email alerts about extreme weather risks, readers gain the ability to make informed decisions about their daily activities, travel plans, and potential precautionary measures.
By automating the newsletter process, the team ensures that geographically targeted extreme weather patterns trigger customized emails to subscribers. Although the newsletter does not rely on artificial intelligence, it represents a significant step towards personalization in delivering relevant information based on specific locations and weather risks.
While the current iteration of the extreme weather newsletter focuses on the continental United States, the Times aims to expand the service globally and track various types of extreme weather. This expansion would not only benefit readers around the world but also contribute to raising awareness about climate change and its impact on weather patterns. All emails are signed by resident meteorologist Judson Jones, and are “100% automated” in that the system automatically sorts who gets which email via the location selection process that users will undergo at the beginning of opting into the service. In the case of high-risk weather, Jones will manually add context to the warnings before they go out to users.
By providing accurate and accessible information about extreme weather events, the Times empowers individuals to better understand the realities of climate change. The newsletter acts as a catalyst for conversations, prompting readers to reflect on the changing climate and its implications for their lives and the world at large. Eventually, the Times hopes to extend beyond just the continental United States in order to inspire more conversation across the globe.
