Severe weather can be another problem that sidelines your plans or your commute. By saying, "Alexa, tell me when there's a severe weather alert," you'll be notified in the case of particularly choppy storms.

If you missed an NBA game, you can now catch the highlights on any Alexa-enabled device with a screen. You can either specify which team's highlights you want to see, or you can ask Alexa to "play the NBA highlights" to see all noteworthy basketball clips.

2020 US presidential election news has been coming in at a fast pace, making it somewhat difficult to stay up-to-date. You can ask Alexa for an election update to hear the latest polling info, candidate positions and debate recaps.

With these new skills -- particularly the traffic and weather ones -- Alexa could become an even more convenient way to get through your day. The NBA and election news can also help get you up to speed quickly. It's up to the public if that convenience is worth the risk of less privacy.