Watch Duty

Our WD staff meteorologist Pete recently talked to @washingtonpost about the early signals for fire disasters this year. Here's what to know: ➡️ What’s happening: Fire season is starting earlier. Many parts of the west had a lack of winter rain and snow, meaning dry conditions, combining with strong winds and record March heat. The combo is accelerating how quickly fires can ignite and spread ➡️ What’s weird: Areas that are typically too wet to burn this time of year are already dry enough to catch fire. Last week's Morrill Fire in Nebraska burned 643,000 acres in a week—unusually large and fast for this early in the season ➡️ Why it matters: Fires may move faster, start sooner, and occur in multiple places at once. Early awareness and preparation are more important than ever

(2/2) @Johhclarkemills' full interview with How to Disaster Podcast: watch-duty.visitlink.me/P6yIVc

(1/2) Wildfires come and go, but the people who lived through them still carry those experiences. Supporting the people who live these stories is one of the most humbling parts of what we do - & we're grateful to be here for you.

"It was important that it was public, for the public, by the public." @johnclarkemills on the birth of Watch Duty. Full interview with the How to Disaster Podcast: watch-duty.visitlink.me/8rk5Ap

➡️ A fast-moving brush fire, the Sandy Fire, is burning in Ventura County, CA. The wind direction has reversed and additional evacuations have been issued for areas to the east of the fire, with new Evacuation Warnings also in Los Angeles County. ➡️ Crews are scaling up fast, working on more engine strike teams and air tankers. ➡️ Watch Duty has all hands on deck on this incident, tracking national and local notices, first responder radio traffic, school district updates, and county resources. Always follow the latest at app.watchduty.org/i/98896?utm_so… & download the app for notifications

Dave is a Fire Chief from Texas, and one of our Watch Duty contributors working as a team to have your back when disaster strikes.

How has Watch Duty changed the flow of information during wildfires? Pete - our Staff Meteorologist here at Watch Duty - sat down with @ChuckTodd on The Chuck ToddCast to explain how we made the move to real-time information. Watch the full interview here [or listen on your favorite podcast app!]: watch-duty.visitlink.me/h_BqIz

What happens behind the scenes when you get a wildfire alert? Hear from Miranda ⬇️

.@WIRED asked disaster preparedness experts about their emergency kit essentials (& Watch Duty made the list 🙌) Check out the full guide: watch-duty.visitlink.me/VnhOz7

@chucktodd (2/2) Watch the full interview here [or listen on your favorite podcast app!]: watch-duty.visitlink.me/78bE7a

(1/2) How do experts like Watch Duty Staff Meteorologist Pete Curran know what to anticipate for 2026's wildfires? He sat down with @chucktodd on The Chuck Toddcast to explain the signs that point towards an intense wildfire season this year.

The next time you open Watch Duty on an iOS device, you'll get the option to enable critical alerts. It's a great time to make sure: 1️⃣ You have the latest version of the Watch Duty app 2️⃣ You've selected the counties that are important to you under ‘notifications’  3️⃣ You've enabled notifications and critical alerts  Stay safe!

What if your phone was on silent during an urgent fire evacuation notice? We're introducing Critical Alerts on iOS. For select rare and urgent situations, these alerts can bypass Do Not Disturb mode with an emergency sound, ensuring you receive life saving notifications when they matter most.

For our 100,000 new Watch Duty users in Georgia and Florida who might need help navigating the app — we've got you covered. Watch Yusra's how-to guide, share with family and friends, & make sure to download Watch Duty at watchduty.org

Watch Duty has been covering both incidents, ramping up our existing 24/7 coverage with all hands on deck to share updates. Latest at app.watchduty.org + download the app for notifications.

➡️ Two major wildfires are tearing through south Georgia. The Pineland Road and Highway 82 fires have burned 50,000+ acres as of Monday morning. Still growing. ➡️ Leftover debris from Hurricane Helene (like fallen trees) are combining with extremely dry conditions for fast fire growth. Now, when wind shifts, the fire shifts, & firefighters are forced to change strategy fast. ➡️ County officials are doing a great job getting information out. We're tracking every update.

Totally get the concern, but checking every piece of information is still part of our workflow! The tools job is to transcribe and cut at lot of the dead air that's in radio traffic, and then send that transcript directly into Slack. There, our reporters will see the transcript and replay the feed. So they'll still vet and verify all info - this will just speed things up for them and help with overwhelm, where in the past they'd have to listen to 20+ feeds simultaneously during large fires.

@watchdutyapp @Googleorg How do you measure speed gains vs accuracy loss?

During a major wildfire, Watch Duty reporters monitor 20+ radio frequencies at once. Today we announced that @Googleorg will embed engineers with us to build AI for radio transcription & signal intelligence, helping reporters move faster when seconds count. More: watch-duty.visitlink.me/pbOqOO

Checking every piece of information is still part of our workflow, so this won't be an issue! The tools job is to transcribe and cut at lot of the dead air that's in radio traffic, and then send that transcript directly into Slack. There, our reporters will see the transcript and replay the feed, so they'll still verify all info. Think of it as a way to speed up work, where in the past they'd have to listen to multiple sources simultaneously during large fires.

@watchdutyapp @Googleorg But wouldn’t inaccurate transcribing be a inaccurate data point for the humans?

@unclej520 thanks Jay!

@watchdutyapp I absolutely love this App!!!

Wendy is an Asheville, North Carolina local & a retired doctor who has fly fished since third grade. As someone who's spent decades outdoors, here's how Watch Duty gives her the peace of mind while spending time on the trail👇

It’s so massively dry across the Southeast that wildfires are breaking out across the region. Drought is spreading and will likely grow through July. This data is courtesy of the Watch Duty fire app you can download.