An overview of the use of Twitter in National Weather Services

Abstract. Twitter is a service that enables users to post messages ("tweets") of up to 140 characters supporting a variety of communicative practices. In this paper we analyze different aspects related to the use of Twitter in different National Meteorological Services (NMS) worldwide. Firstly, we will review the general position of NMS worldwide regarding the use of Twitter technology. Secondly, we will focus on different practices of some selected meteorological services. Thirdly, we will deal specifically with the Basque Meteorology Agency (Euskalmet) case. Finally some conclusions are presented.