Latest news with #JohnHomenuk
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
NWS pauses language translation for its products ‘until further notice'
The Brief The National Weather Service paused any automated language translation services for its products indefinitely. NWS said the pause was due to a contract lapse. Experts warned that non-English speakers could potentially miss life-saving warnings about severe weather without the language translation service. The National Weather Service will no longer be providing language translations for its products. NWS said it "paused" the translations because its contract with the provider had lapsed, according to NWS spokesperson Michael Musher. The backstory Lilt, an artificial intelligence company, began providing translations in late 2023, replacing manual translations that the weather service had said were labor-intensive and not sustainable. It eventually provided them in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French and Samoan. The contract lapse comes as President Donald Trump's administration is seeking to slash spending in federal agencies, including cuts within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that have led to high employee vacancy rates at NWS offices. Weather experts warned that non-English speakers living in the U.S. could potentially miss life-saving warnings about severe weather without these translations. What they're saying "The value is for the millions of people in the area and around the country that rely on these kind of things, maybe English is not their native language, so when they're getting critical weather information: warnings, watches, those translated in their native language truly can be a life or death situation and extremely helpful to have that. So taking that away is really really important," John Homenuk, a meteorologist at NY Metro Weather, told FOX 5 New York. By the numbers Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. speak a language other than English at home, including 42 million Spanish speakers, according to 2019 Census data. Why you should care Not being able to read urgent weather alerts could be a matter of life or death, said Joseph Trujillo-Falcón, a researcher at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who has worked with NOAA researching how to translate weather and climate information to the public, including the use of artificial intelligence. He said translated weather alerts saved lives during a deadly tornado outbreak in Kentucky in 2021. A Spanish-speaking family interviewed afterward said they got a tornado alert on their cellphone in English but ignored it because they didn't understand it, he said. When the same alert came in Spanish, they quickly sought shelter, he said. "It saved their life," said Trujillo-Falcón. The Source Information for this article was taken from a FOX 5 New York newscast and an interview with John Homenuk. The Associated Press also contributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
NYC's weather whiplash — Why temperatures are swinging so fast
The Brief A shifting jet stream is causing extreme temperature swings in the Tri-State area, with warm and cold air trading places rapidly. The jet stream, a high-altitude wind current, is especially active in spring as it moves north, steering volatile weather systems across the region. Meteorologists say the unpredictable pattern could last through late April or early May before settling into a more typical spring. NEW YORK - The Tri-State area is experiencing wild temperature swings, with weather shifting dramatically from cold to warm in a matter of hours. But what's causing this weather whiplash? Well, look to the jet stream. What we know The recent weather rollercoaster — cold mornings followed by 70-degree afternoons — is being caused by the jet stream, a fast-moving river of air about 5 to 9 miles above Earth's surface. This current of high-altitude wind plays a major role in shaping the weather across North America. As Earth tilts toward the sun during the spring transition, the jet stream begins to move northward. That shift allows warmer air from the south to flow into the Tri-State area — but not consistently. "I think in the last couple of weeks we've seen a lot of temperature fluctuations, the pattern has been very volatile," said John Homenuk, meteorologist with New York Metro Weather. "And a lot of that is just the transition that we're going into spring." What is the jet stream? The jet stream forms at the boundaries between cold and warm air masses — typically where polar and tropical air meet. It flows from west to east and acts as a kind of atmospheric steering wheel, pushing weather systems across the country. When the jet stream dips south, cold Arctic air can reach areas much farther south than usual. When it retreats north, it opens the door for warm, humid air to move in from the Gulf of Mexico or southern U.S. In spring, the jet stream becomes especially active, shifting frequently and allowing quick changes in temperature and storm activity. By the numbers The volatility has been extreme. Last Saturday, a backdoor cold front caused a 26-degree temperature drop in just one hour in parts of the Tri-State area. "The ocean is cold still this time of year," Homenuk explained. "And when we warm up the air over the landmass, despite it being 75 degrees there, the ocean is still really cold. So all it takes is a little wind shift, and that ocean air comes flowing back in, and that creates a frontal boundary. Those backdoor cold fronts can change the weather very quickly." What's next Expect the pattern to continue for several more weeks. "It's probably late April, maybe early May, when things start to settle in a little bit," Homenuk said. "Then we'll be in a little bit more of what I would consider a typical spring pattern." Until then, it's best to keep both your winter coat and sunglasses within reach.
