Social Media & DSS @ BTV
Jessica Neiles
General Forecaster NWS
WFO Burlington, VT
jessica.neiles@noaa.gov
Social Media Team:
Robert Deal
Andrew Loconto
Michael Muccilli
Jessica Neiles
facebook.com/NWSBurlington
twitter.com/NWSBurlington
Platforms
Facebook
Twitter
Joined 9/6/11
Joined 7/9/12
20,254 likes
5,787 followers
Highest reach on a single post
262,272
Highest interactions on a single post
177
Highest likes on a single post
2,715
Office Guidelines
• 1 post per shift, which is 3 posts per day.
• As a regular shift duty, it falls to the public service
desk.
• During severe weather, there’s usually one person
assigned to social media.
• Social media has been added into the severe weather
operating plan and utilized during severe weather
events the past several years.
• Initially there was a lot of pushback from staff, they
didn’t believe in the utility of social media as a tool to
use operationally.
“Ready to Post”
• 47 cool season slides, 43 warm season slides
• The slides populate with updated images when you open the
PowerPoint presentation, captions just need to be updated
Summer Convection: Post After Morning
ESTF
Posting expectations for
afternoon convection
after the morning ESTF
goes out has following
benefits:
 Gets folks in the
mindset that severe
thunderstorms are
expected today.
 Allows them to think
about alternative
options for summer
outdoor plans.
 Be more receptive to
reporting
severe/hazardous
weather to us.
Awareness/Safety Info
• Cold water, flood, lightning, rip current, safe boating, and severe – all
have information/slides readily available to post as we see fit
Situational Awareness Page
Image Repository
• Eric created a page on our intranet which is a huge resource of different images that can be
used for potential posts to social media.
•
GIS
Graphics
Nearly all of our GIS graphics are automated
Regional Snowfall Maps
Though we were on the outer periphery of the January 2015 blizzard, it allowed us to garner
engagement/followers locally AND may benefit to other offices more directly affected (i.e.
reduce social media workload in conveying a regional message).
•
Vermont GIS Graphics
We are the State Liaison for Vermont. We have automated GIS maps set up for the state of VT that
incorporate ALY’s forecast for Bennington and Windham Counties. These maps are created automatically
for Snowfall and Ice Forecasts. We can also manually run these for other elements as needed.
PNG Imager
Warning Graphics
• We are a part of the Central Region Warning
Graphics automated Twitter post test, we’ve also
been posting these images to Facebook.
• Initially we had some trouble, as it was using base
data and we need composite to see storms
because of our terrain.
Other Resources
• Sacramento graphics
• “Faux wx story”
• Current obs
Social Media Success Story
Misinformation & Rumor Control
Thursday, March 26, 2015 – WFO Burlington VT
• The first rainfall/snowmelt event of the season is expected.
• As with every spring, concerns for river rises and possible break-up
ice jam flooding arise, especially for historically prone Montpelier.
• Latest hydrologic and QPF forecasts support the idea that withinbank rises are expected, but no flooding is expected. Therefore no
headlines are issued.
• Day before (25th), our Service Hydrologist sent a heads up email
stating low risk of ice breakup and jams.
• Afternoon of the 26th, one of our media partners calls to ask about a
press release by the City of Montpelier stating "we and the USGS
had issued a Flood Watch for the region”.
Press Release obtained online from City of Montpelier, VT website:
FACTS:
• No Watch was issued of any kind (let’s overlook the fact that USGS does not issue
watches)
• The Winooski River, which runs through the city of Montpelier, was not predicted by
NWS to rise 4 feet. Still do not know where that number came from.
• We, the NWS, were not involved or consulted in creating this press release
How we responded:
NWSChat
Facebook
Twitter
Working with Partners:
Our WCM touched base
with VT DEMHS and
reached out to city
officials. That led to a
corrected press release
from city officials which
better reflected with our
expectations:
Station Log entry:
As of 4 pm: After Scott contacted
the City of Montpelier removed
the press release from the web
site, removed the watch wording
from their Facebook post and
issued an updated tweet.
Franklin County Fair (Malone, NY)
• 7 days
• Attendance: over 42,000 in 2014
• Malone Population: 14,545 (2010
Census)
Safety Considerations:
Held at Franklin County Fairgrounds
• limited indoor areas, most of which is taken up by animals
Thunderstorms
• Sudden wind gusts > 30mph and/or lightning
Daily Plan:
•Onsite DSS Met get briefing from short term forecaster
•Onsite DSS Met briefing:
 Morning 11am Focus: current day & evening concert
 Afternoon 5pm Focus: evening concert & next day
o coordination call with office staff to ensure consistency
•Short term forecaster provide/email Text forecast to
Champlain Valley Fair (Essex Junction, VT)
• 10 days
• Attendance: over 300,000 [Wikipedia]
• Essex Junction Population: 9,695 (2013)
3,094% increase
or
309% daily average increase
Safety Considerations: Any lightning/ thunderstorms, wind gusts >30 kts
Conduct DSS while manning booth at fair with office staff calling fair officials
Held at Champlain Valley Exposition
• all food vendors outdoors
• all concerts and entertainment shows outdoors: 12,000
 Not including rides
• Indoor areas: 81,000 sq ft
Weekly Briefings/ “Heads Up” E-mails
• We give a weekly briefing every Wednesday at 12:15 to our
Emergency Management partners.
• We also email them our slideshow, therefore if they can’t call in they
still have all of the pertinent information.
• Right now this responsibility falls to the members of the WCM team,
but it may eventually become an operational duty.
• The “Heads Up” e-mails are weather driven and issued to our
partners to alert them to upcoming weather.
• It is the responsibility of the lead forecaster to write the email or
delegate someone else to do so.
• We have a list of guidelines and issuance thresholds on our office Wiki
page that is relied on.
Airport Operations
• BTV is the only WFO still located in a terminal building at an
airport.
• We provide on-site Decision Support Services to Airport
Operations all year.
• During the winter we brief them almost daily, sometimes in
person and sometimes over the phone.