WeatherTranslate

Multilingual Alert Platform

Every NWS severe weather alert, translated in real time.

Runs alongside IPAWS and WEA. Your COG, originator authority, and existing tooling stay unchanged. The 68 million Americans who speak a language other than English finally receive the warning in the language they speak.

Severe Weather Feed

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Live·National Weather Service (NWS)
FCC 23-88 ··············
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The Mandate

The Rule

By June 2028, FCC 23-88 requires wireless carriers to send emergency alerts in 13 languages.

The Catch

Only 18 pre-written templates qualify. Tornado. Flash flood. Hurricane. And 15 others. Anything else goes out in English.

The Gap

Most of what your team actually issues doesn’t fit a template. Heat advisories. Air quality alerts. Local hazards. Your non-English-speaking residents don’t get the warning.

The Fix

WeatherTranslate™ closes it. Every alert your team issues, translated in real time, in the languages your county speaks.

By The Numbers

Why this is already a problem

The Rule
FCC 23-88
Adopted October 2023. Mandates WEA in the 13 FCC-designated languages.
The Deadline
June 2028
Nationwide CMS-provider compliance deadline.
The Languages
13
FCC-designated languages for multilingual WEA.
The Speakers
68M
Americans speak a language other than English at home. (Census ACS 2018-2022)
The Gap
50%
of surveyed emergency response agencies don’t offer multilingual outreach today — but want to. (Natural Hazards Center 2023 survey of 222 EM personnel across 57 of Colorado’s 64 counties; peer-reviewed in Natural Hazards Review, 2026.)
The Federal Side
36 of 122
NWS Weather Forecast Offices currently issue AI-translated products (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, French, Samoan). The other 86 — and the counties beneath them — issue English-only bulletins. (NOAA; GAO-26-107680, Jan 2026.)
What It Does

We translate. You stay in command.

We translate and disseminate the alerts your agencies already issue. We do not forecast, originate, or replace federal warning systems — we translate them so the warning reaches every resident, not only the English-speaking ones.

PATH

Real-time translation

Every NWS severe alert — Tornado, Severe Thunderstorm, Flash Flood, Hurricane, Heat, Air Quality — translated into Spanish and Mandarin the moment it is issued. Additional FCC languages on roadmap.

NWS ISSUESTRANSLATEDDELIVERED
STACK

Multi-channel delivery

Translated alerts ship to subscribers in your jurisdiction. Designed to complement IPAWS and WEA, not replace either.

IPAWSFEMAWEAFCCWTTranslate
PRECISION

Polygon-precise targeting

Subscribers receive the translated alert only when they are inside the NWS warning polygon — roughly 1.5 sq. mi. of precision. A tornado warning one county over does not blanket the rest of the region.

COUNTY~1.5SQ MI
Who Uses It

Counties first. State and federal builds from there.

County OEM directors often authorize 2-week pilots under existing budget — no RFP required.

County Offices of Emergency Management

2-week pilots commonly authorized under existing OEM budget. Covers non-English-speaking populations that your CodeRED / Everbridge / WEA stack misses today.

County Public Health Departments

Heat advisories, air quality, and shelter-in-place alerts in Spanish and Mandarin for climate-vulnerable populations. Fits CDC- and HRSA-funded equity programs.

State Emergency Management Agencies

Coordinated multilingual dissemination across counties. Eligible for federal pass-through funding via EMPG and HMGP.

State & Municipal Housing Authorities

Title VI compliance for severe-weather communications to tenants in public housing, Section 8, and state housing programs.

NOAA Weather Ready Nation Partners

Pilots the language-access components of the Weather Ready Nation strategic plan. Direct alignment with NWS multilingual priorities.

The Language Gap

Americans, by the language they speak at home

68M
≈ California + Texas combined

Americans speak a language other than English at home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2019-2023 (table C16001)
350+
Languages, not dialects

distinct languages are spoken across U.S. households today.

Census Detailed Languages Spoken at Home, 2009-2013 ACS
1 in 5

U.S. households speak a language other than English at home.

Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2019-2023 (table S1602)
States to watch
California
44% of state
17.0M

speak a language other than English at home

38.9M total population
Texas
37% of state
11.4M

speak a language other than English at home

30.5M total population
Florida
26% of state
5.8M

speak a language other than English at home

22.6M total population
Census ACS 5-year estimates, 2019-2023 (state-level table C16001)
Engagement Pathways

Three ways to start the conversation

~30 MIN

Briefing on Request

Platform overview, live NWS-alert translation demo, jurisdiction-fit discussion. Scheduled at your team’s convenience.

2 WEEKS

County OEM Pilot (fastest)

You get a post-action report documenting reach and language coverage. Free 2-week pilot in your county. No obligation.

MULTI-YEAR

State or Federal Partnership

Multi-county coordination, EMPG / HMGP pass-through funding, NOAA Weather Ready Nation partnership, or subcontracting to a federal prime.

50% of emergency agencies want to alert in more languages — but can’t. Where does yours stand?

Briefing on request. Post-action report and capability matrix available.