Large cuts to the government agency in charge of monitoring and forecasting severe weather for the United States could be putting the country at risk, according to current and former NOAA employees.
What's happening?
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) describes its mission as providing "timely and accurate forecasts and watches for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the contiguous United States." The SPC also issues alerts for heavy rain, heavy snow, and potential wildfires.
An active spring has kept SPC workers busy with over 580 tornadoes reported through April 21, with historically some of the worst months for twisters still to come.
Only one other year since 2010 has had more tornadoes to this point of the year, per SPC data charts. There have been at least 34 deaths from tornadoes, per the data.
According to Scientific American, the Trump administration is proposing a 27% cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 2026 budget, which would represent a reduction of $1.7 billion, to $4.5 billion. NOAA is home to the SPC, the National Hurricane Center, and the National Weather Service.
"If you degrade our capabilities, our warnings get weaker and people and property get compromised," a concerned NOAA employee told Business Insider. "Damages are going to increase, people are not going to get out of harm's way, and they're going to die."
Why is a diminished NOAA important?
The SPC is just one example of a branch of NOAA that vigilantly stands guard to protect the U.S. from severe and extreme weather. The National Hurricane Center is preparing for what many believe will be an above-normal Atlantic hurricane season.
Weather and climate disasters claimed the lives of 568 people in 2024, according to NOAA. The average number of weather-related deaths from 1980 to 2024 was 368 per year. The average number of deaths over the last five years has climbed to 504.
The NOAA observed that Hurricane Helene was the deadliest weather event of 2024 and the deadliest hurricane in the contiguous U.S. since 2005. The storm was responsible for at least 250 deaths. People in the weather community are concerned that a reduction in NOAA staffing will mean more people will be vulnerable to severe weather.
"The speed at which these decisions are being made translates into little to no opportunity for feedback or consideration of long-term impacts," according to a joint statement by the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.
TCD Picks » Upway Spotlight
💡Upway makes it easy to find discounts of up to 60% on premium e-bike brands
|
Do you think your city has good air quality? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Definitely 🥰 "Without NOAA research, National Weather Service (NWS) weather models and products will stagnate, observational data collection will be reduced, public outreach will decrease, undergraduate and graduate student support will drop, and NOAA funding for universities will plummet," the statement added.
"In effect, the scientific backbone and workforce needed to keep weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings accurate and effective will be drastically undercut, with unknown — yet almost certainly disastrous — consequences for public safety and economic health."
What's being done about job reductions at NOAA?
Now more than ever, because our overheating planet is supercharging storms, we need to be vigilant when it comes to severe weather. It is important to use our voices to spread the word about critical climate issues and talk to family and friends about them. Using that information to find policy-makers fighting for our planet's future and then lending our support to them is crucial.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
