Abstract
The Northeastern United States was not well-prepared to react to the extent of Hurricane Ida’s remnant’s impacts, despite forecasters providing a straightforward forecast of catastrophic flooding days in advance. The core issue with public response to Ida hinged on the language and visualizations the messaging was delivered through, not in the accuracy of the forecast. This research provides meteorologists with an idea of public confusion towards the communication of the flooding of Ida’s remnants, so that meteorologists can develop better forms of communication for their forecasts to avoid a breakdown in the future. This study used Twitter as an accessible source for graphics and public discussion and investigated the methods by which hurricane risk graphics are distributed by National Weather Service (NWS) offices and broadcast meteorologists. We also dissected the sources of communication breakdown between forecasters, emergency and government officials, and the public. This study found inconsistencies of structure, language, and colors within the graphics of broadcast markets and NWS stations. The public did not associate the technical term ‘remnants’ with the appropriate levels of risk it carried, and a lack of government response reduced credibility to the severity of the forecast. The impacts associated with tropical cyclones are wind threat, flooding threats and tornado risk. The public expressed a need for a clear hierarchy of risk within each of those impacts, and between impacts, to conceptualize the effects and react accordingly. Those who live in the Northeast easily envision the risks of large snow events; understanding the impacts of extreme flooding did not come as easily. Meteorologists should incorporate qualitative representations of a severe weather event’s impact to accompany their precise weather reports.