A major software glitch delayed critical weather warnings just as deadly storms swept across the Midwest and Ohio Valley on Tuesday evening, disrupting the National Weather Service’s (NWS) ability to alert millions of people in harm’s way.

According to a report from CNN, the outage lasted from 6 p.m. ET to 7:14 p.m. ET, affecting multiple states, including Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes struck. The technical issue stemmed from an attempted software upgrade to the NWS’s main alerting platform, known as AWIPS, an antiquated system the agency is working to replace by 2028. While NOAA Weather Radio continued to deliver alerts, other warning systems—including weather apps, TV graphics, and wireless alerts—were delayed by up to 20 minutes.

The delay proved dangerous, as the average lead time for tornado warnings nationwide is just 13 minutes. During the outage, forecasters scrambled to spread warnings via social media and media outlets. The NWS office in Jackson, Kentucky, posted on X: “***This is urgent***. We are having issues with our warnings getting out to everyone. If you are in Hazard, Jackson, Pikeville, and Whitesburg, PLEASE SEEK SHELTER NOW. This is a dangerous line of storms!”

The storms left at least three people dead, including two in Indiana and one in Ohio.

The event highlighted ongoing IT infrastructure challenges at the NWS, long criticized for aging technology and recurring outages. As detailed by Data Center Knowledge, such failures have occurred before, but Tuesday’s outage was unusually widespread and impactful. Meteorologists described confusion and duplication of warnings, with some offices relying on hand-drawn maps and alternative communication methods.

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