US Weather Forecasts in Spanish to Vanish as Translations Expire

The US National Weather Service has allowed a contract with a foreign-language translation service to expire, creating a potential gap in local-language forecasting just as spring brings a higher risk of severe storms and tornadoes in the central and southeastern US.

Since 2023, the weather service has been using an AI firm called Lilt to translate public forecasts, including local storm warnings and advisories from the National Hurricane Center, a unit of the NWS, into Spanish and Chinese. Eventually, use of Lilt was expanded to include three other languages.