Data Outage Reportedly Messing Up Weather Forecasts on Your Phone

If you rely on your phone to tell you when severe weather is headed toward the Hudson Valley, you may want to double-check the forecast today.

Several online weather organizations are warning about a reported problem involving data from the National Weather Service that could prevent some weather apps and websites from displaying accurate or up-to-date alerts.

Rusty tower with antennas overlooks ocean and a distant boat.

Weather Alert Problems Reported

Severe Weather US and Live Storm Chasers, two popular Facebook groups, are among the weather organizations sounding the alarm about an apparent issue involving National Weather Service data.

This is a major concern because many of the weather apps people use every day rely on National Weather Service data to display watches, warnings and advisories.

The National Weather Service operates an API that allows outside services to access official alerts issued during the past seven days. If there is a problem somewhere in that chain, information displayed by third-party weather apps could potentially be delayed or missing.

As of early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service had not posted a widespread outage notice explaining the reported issue. Its main website remained online and was continuing to display current forecasts and severe weather information. It's unclear, however, why outside sources are reporting trouble with the data that they're receiving from the organization.

Don't Rely on Just One Weather App

For Hudson Valley residents, the safest move today is to avoid relying exclusively on the weather app that came with your phone, especially if storms begin developing. Stray thunderstorms are currently expected throughout the region later today.

The reported problem doesn't necessarily mean the forecast showing up on your phone is wrong. But until the issue is cleared up, it's probably a good idea to have more than one way to receive potentially important weather alerts.

You can check alerts directly through the National Weather Service or the National Weather Service Albany office. Their websites don't appear to be affected by the reported issues.