National Weather Service condemns racist response to storm alerts

“Racism [and] bigotry will not be tolerated,” the NSW said in a statement

The National Weather Service has decried racist responses to their decision to issue bilingual storm alerts.

The NWS has recently issued alerts in both English and Spanish across the Midwest and Southern United States following severe weather snowstorms that have left 32 people dead.

Over the weekend, the agency said in a tweet that the measure had sparked racist remarks online.

“There have been many racist comments. 27,000 WY & 129,000 NE residents speak Spanish & it’s the 2nd most common language,” the agency tweeted over the weekend. “Racism & bigotry will not be tolerated. Your comments will be promptly removed.

The NWS then published the same message in Spanish.

The recent snowstorm’s deathly toll came after buildings were destroyed, roofs collapsed and vehicles flipped over in 11 states including Arkansas, Iowa, and Missouri.

There are new warnings that a second tornado outbreak in a matter of days is possible across large parts of the Midwest. A severe storm is expected to sweep the region on Tuesday bringing powerful winds, hail and the threat of strong tornadoes in at least 16 states.

From southern California to New Mexico, and in southern Utah and Colorado, wind gusts could hit 50mph at points. This could create high risk of wildfire due to low humidity and dry vegetation from eastern Arizona to the Texas Panhandle on Monday, and across a swathe of the High Plains on Tuesday.

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding were possible in southeast Mississippi and southern Alabama on Monday while an “impressive” late season snowstorm was forecast across the Rockies through Tuesday afternoon, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported. One to three feet of snow was expected in mountainous areas of Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado.