The Senate is set to grill Neil Jacobs, President Trump's choice to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), during a confirmation hearing. This comes just days after severe flash floods devastated central Texas, raising questions about the agency's preparedness and resources. Jacobs is likely to face tough questions about recent cuts to the ...
A big change is coming to weather forecasting. A satellite program that has been helping predict hurricanes and other weather events for decades is shutting down. This is happening just as we enter the busiest part of hurricane season. The program, run by the U. S. Department of Defense, has been collecting important weather data since the 1960s. This data has been ...
Hurricane season is back, but weather experts are facing a big challenge. They are losing a crucial tool that helps them track and predict these powerful storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has decided to stop using data from a special satellite system called the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder (SSMIS). This system is part of a ...
Some former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are in a tough spot. They were fired, then rehired, and then fired again. Now, they're getting bills for health insurance they never had. The workers say they received letters demanding payment for health care premiums. The letters claim the workers owe money for coverage during a ti...
California's weather forecasting system is in trouble. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) are facing deep cuts. These cuts could make it harder to predict and respond to dangerous weather events, like fires and floods. The cuts are part of a broader plan to reduce the workforce by about 15%. This means fe...
The White House has sent a budget draft to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The draft is for the fiscal year 2026. It suggests big changes to space-related activities. This includes the Geostationary Extended Observations program. This program is set to launch a new generation of weather satellites in the early 2030s. The budget draft wants t...
Solar storms are a big deal. They can mess with our power grids, GPS signals, and even satellites. Imagine a storm so strong it could cause a trillion-dollar disaster. That's what some experts are worried about. In 2024, a series of solar storms, known as the Gannon Storm, hit Earth. It was the first extreme geomagnetic event since 2003. While it was dramatic, it als...
The latest addition to the weather-watching family, GOES-19, is now fully operational. This satellite, part of the GOES-R series, has taken over the role of GOES East. It is now keeping a close eye on the Western Hemisphere from a whopping 22, 236 miles above the equator. This isn't GOES-19's first time sending back pictures. It started sharing preliminary images and...
The National Weather Service is facing a significant challenge. They have had to reduce the number of weather balloon launches. This means less data is being collected from the skies above the United States. The reason behind this? Budget cuts from the government. These cuts have led to hundreds of federal workers losing their jobs. About 10% of the workforce at the...
In the United States, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a big deal. It's the main source of weather and climate information, both at home and abroad. But recently, NOAA has been hit with significant job cuts. More than 800 employees were let go in February alone, and more cuts are expected. This has raised serious concerns about the future...