March 20, 2025

Weather forecasting in danger

 Axios - Fears have grown among National Weather Service advocates that the Trump administration is seeking to privatize or significantly downsize it — moves they say would undo a careful division of labor among government, academia and the private sector.

A balance has been struck over decades within the "weather enterprise" in which NOAA collects raw weather data from the Earth's deep oceans to space, disseminates forecasts through NWS and issues life-saving watches and warnings.

"It is vital for the protection of life and property… that the existing weather enterprise be sustained and enhanced moving forward," Peter Neilley, director of weather forecasting sciences and technologies at The Weather Company, told Axios

  • He said it's simply "not an option" to stop issuing tornado warnings and other life-saving services 24/7 and that doing so requires a dedicated workforce.....

Nearly every private weather forecasting company relies on the raw data that NOAA's satellites, ground observation stations, computer models and other infrastructure gather and disseminate for free. More


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