Climate Action
Invest in Weather Forecasting Or Pay The Price of Disaster
August 15, 2025
Watching the news feels as if we’re living through “once-in-a-century” storms again and again. Well, we are, and the pace and severity of these weather events is only accelerating. In this reality, accurate forecasting and effective warning systems are not just helpful, but essential.
Who is Watching the Weather?
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has long been the nation’s weather brain. They monitor everything from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean, delivering life-saving forecasts through the National Weather Service (NWS). Supported by a workforce that once included 12,000 experts, NOAA uses advanced research, satellites, and high-tech instrumentation to keep the public prepared for disaster. Its forecasts guide decisions for emergency managers, city officials, farmers, pilots, and families planning their daily lives.
These efforts extend beyond national borders. NOAA collaborates globally to improve forecasting and respond to environmental challenges that threaten both natural ecosystems and human life.
Now, NOAA is facing a storm of its own. Proposed budget cuts reduce NOAA’s funding by $1.5 billion, a staggering 24% drop. The fallout is already unfolding, as nearly 1,000 NOAA employees have been lost this year alone, including over 600 from the NWS. Local forecast offices are just scraping by. Some are operating overnight with skeleton crews, others are missing senior meteorologists critical for coordinating with live-saving emergency responses.
As climate chaos accelerates, our forecasting tools are being deserted. Federal budget cuts have already gutted NOAA’s public education team at Climate.gov, leaving millions without clear guidance on extreme weather. Plans to eliminate hurricane research labs in Miami threaten to reduce storm forecast accuracy by up to 40%, a downgrade with an estimated loss of $10 billion each hurricane season. NOAA’s greenhouse gas emissions monitoring network, which has tracked greenhouse gas emissions for decades, is on the chopping block as well. This isn’t just a loss of data, it’s a loss of foresight, safety, and resilience. Without climate science, we lose the ability to prepare for what is coming.
Forecasts aren’t just about whether to grab a jacket or umbrella. Accurate forecasting has become an essential line of defense. When this system is funded and fully staffed, forecasts do more than inform – they save lives.
Warning Systems Save Lives – When They’re Funded
When weather data goes down the drain, so does our ability to see the storm coming. And the storms? They’re not waiting.
Each year, the United States faces an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 5,000 floods, 1,300 tornadoes, and multiple hurricanes – not to mention droughts, wildfires, monsoons, and extreme heat. Weather, water, and climate-related events account for about 650 deaths and $15 billion in damages annually. They are also responsible for nearly 90% of all presidentially-declared disasters.
That’s where the National Weather Service comes in. They issue over 1.5 million forecasts and 50,000 warnings each year, translating complex data into life-saving alerts – whether it’s a phone buzz, a flashing highway sign, or a siren that jolts you out of bed.
When warnings work, they really work. Take Hurricane Debby in 2024 for example: thanks to accurate, early forecasting in the Gulf of Mexico, hundreds of offshore oil platform workers were evacuated and cargo ships were steered clear of danger. Just one day of early warning can reduce storm-related damage by up to 30%. In emergencies, minutes matter and they save lives.
But when systems break down, the consequences are chilling. When Hurricane Joaquin struck in 2015, the cargo ship El Faro sailed straight into its path, despite worsening weather conditions. All 33 crew members aboard were lost. The investigation revealed gaps in both forecast communication and access to timely weather updates — a haunting reminder of how high the stakes are.
The bottom line; these alerts are only as good as the infrastructure behind them. If we lose the satellites, the software, and the senior meteorologists, we lose the headstart.
Investing in Survival: Weather Data as Public Infrastructure
About one-third of the US economy – a staggering $3 trillion – is weather and climate sensitive. Flights, freight, food, festivals, and fishermen all rely on accurate forecasts to keep things running safely and smoothly.
Take agriculture: it lives and dies by the weather report. Farmers rely on up-to-date weather predictions to know when to plant, irrigate, harvest, or batten down the hatches. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, wildfires, floods, and heatwaves in 2024 alone caused over $20.3 billion in ag-related losses. With reliable forecasts, growers can brace for impact and adapt. Without them, they’re left exposed, risking their livelihoods and the stability of our food systems.
Then there’s aviation, where weather intel isn’t just useful, it’s essential. Every takeoff and landing hinges on knowing what’s brewing above. Weather causes 22% of aviation accidents and over 74% of flight delays over 15 minutes. Advanced tools like Global High-Resolution Atmospheric Forecasting (GRAF) and Terminal Airspace Convective Risk (TrACR) help pilots navigate turbulence, fog, volcanic ash, and storms, keeping passengers safe and flights on schedule.
If you own a home, weather forecasting hits even closer to home – literally. NOAA’s decision to stop updating its billion-dollar disaster database after 2024 could impact your wallet. This public data set has long helped insurers assess risk from wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other natural hazards — all of which are growing more frequent and intense. Without it, insurance companies may turn to fragmented private data, leading to higher premiums, dropped coverage, or canceled policies. Suddenly, protecting your home or car from climate chaos becomes a lot more expensive.
While NOAA might not be armed, wear a uniform or carry a badge, it’s the quiet backbone of US national security. Its data supports submarine navigation, sonar accuracy, and naval missions in shifting environments like the Arctic. It also underpins a seafood industry that employs over 2 million and rakes in over $300 billion every year. Tourism also thrives on sunny skies and accurate updates, as a bad storm without warning can shut down ski resorts, beaches, and whole vacation economies. Beyond the economy, NOAA keeps tabs on ocean temperatures, air quality, wildfire risk and habitat conditions critical for marine ecosystems, public health, and climate resilience.
NOAA does more than predict the weather, it helps keep the country running. From guiding flights and protecting farms to securing coastlines and supporting public health, its data quietly powers the systems we depend on everyday. Investing in NOAA is investing in the safety, stability, and future of our communities.
The Sky is Warning Us – Are We Listening?
Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life.
Former NWS directors
The devastating floods in Texas are a heartbreaking example. More than 100 people lost their lives during sudden, merciless flash floods. But the failure wasn’t just nature’s fury, it was also a lack of preparation. At the time, critical positions at the San Antonio National Weather Service office were vacant, and outdoor sirens, which could have warned residents to seek higher ground, were never installed in the most impacted areas. City officials claimed the topography made them less effective, but the real reason came down to budget: they cost “too much”.
Forecasting and emergency response go hand-in-hand. We need trained meteorologists to interpret storm data and issue timely alerts, and we need public safety officials with the resources to deliver those alerts through sirens, signage, push notifications, or door-to-door evacuations. It’s a chain of protection, and every link matters.
For millions of people in the U.S, a forecast is about survival, not just what clothes we will wear that day. But precision forecasting doesn’t fall from the sky. It takes science, technology, research, but first and foremost, adequate funding.
The skies are warning us — will we fund the people who listen and will we act in time to save lives?
This research is not “climate alarmism”, it’s a scientific consensus backed by decades of data. Greenhouse gas emissions are only increasing, and they are accelerating the frequency and intensity of extreme weather, putting millions of lives and livelihoods at risk.
Join us at EARTHDAY.ORG in the fight to reduce carbon emissions and build a future rooted in renewable energy. By sending a letter, you can urge your elected officials to commit to clean energy solutions, reduce the impacts of climate change, and extreme weather events.
We also need you to help with the current threats to the EPA. Tell Congress we expect them to protect clean air and clean water for all and to fight back, you can write to them here. Demand that Administrator Zeldin abandon this reckless plan here and tell President Trump that our children deserve better here.
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