DOGE’s plan to slash 20% of NOAA’s workforce threatens critical weather services nationwide. With a budget already at just 0.097% of federal spending, cuts will impact real-time tornado warnings, hurricane tracking, and climate monitoring. Weather balloons could disappear. Farmers can’t plan, flights get delayed, and weekend hikes become riskier. The kicker? Project 2025 aims to commercialize forecasting. Soon, knowing if it’ll rain might cost you.
Storm clouds are gathering over America’s weather forecasting capabilities. The DOGE administration just proposed slashing NOAA’s workforce by 20%. Yeah, that NOAA—the folks who tell you when to grab an umbrella or evacuate your home before a hurricane hits. Their $9.8 billion budget makes up a measly 0.097% of federal spending, but apparently that’s too much.
Weather balloons? Gone. Monthly seasonal predictions? Cancelled. Staff available during tornado emergencies? Hope you weren’t counting on them. The Mauna Loa Observatory might stop measuring carbon dioxide, threatening the iconic Keeling Curve data that’s been tracking our climate since the 1950s. Because who needs decades of consistent scientific data anyway?
Slashing NOAA means saying goodbye to critical climate data we’ve relied on for generations—apparently ignorance is the new forecast.
Real-time updates during emergencies are about to get a whole lot less “real-time.” Public warnings could be delayed. Tsunami alerts, wildfire monitoring, hurricane forecasts—all on the chopping block. But hey, at least we’re saving a fraction of a penny on the federal dollar!
Farmers who depend on accurate forecasts might as well start using their arthritic knees to predict rain. Airlines will face more delays. Insurance companies won’t know how to price risk. Even your weekend camping trip could get ruined because nobody warned you about that storm.
Globally, things look just as grim. America’s contribution to international weather data? Slashed. Our participation in climate research? Limited. Sharing critical information with global partners? Not anymore.
Then there’s Project 2025, which wants to commercialize weather forecasting entirely. Imagine paying a subscription to find out if you need a jacket tomorrow. Weather data could become a luxury—brought to you by corporations with premium access packages for those who can afford it. These plans would transform the National Weather Service into merely a data-gathering service while private companies take over forecasting.
NOAA’s workforce represents less than half a percent of federal employees. Their cuts aren’t surgical—they’re a blunt force amputation of services Americans rely on daily. The absence of crucial fisheries data has already led to the collapse of a $200 million fishery in recent years, showing the real-world consequences of these cuts. But who needs accurate weather forecasts when you can just look out the window, right?
