White House budget cuts could eliminate most weather and climate research

CNN reported news that has shocked many in the weather and climate communities Friday. The story reports that the White House budget will aim to eliminate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s research arm. The Washington Post also has the story.

Many in the weather and climate research communities are reacting to the reported cuts with alarm.

Here’s more from the CNN piece:

The Trump administration intends to eliminate the research arm of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, close all weather and climate labs and eviscerate its budget along with several other NOAA offices, according to internal documents obtained by CNN.

The documents describe the administration’s budget proposal for 2026, but indicate the administration expects the agency to enact the changes immediately.

The cuts would devastate weather and climate research as weather is becoming more erratic, extreme and costly. It would cripple the US industries — including agriculture — that depend on free, accurate weather and climate data and expert analysis. It could also halt research on deadly weather, including severe storms and tornadoes.

According to the report, the cuts could shutter NOAA’s research labs, including NOAA’s National Severe Storms Lab and its Hurricane Research Division.

CNN reports that up to 75 percent of NOAA’s weather and climate research budget will be eliminated:

The plan cuts NOAA’s overall budget by more than 27%. It eliminates NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research office and stops funding regional climate data, climate competitive research and sea grant programs. Overall, it cuts the research office’s funding by roughly 75%, and moves all remaining branches that used to be under OAR to different NOAA departments.

The research office includes the National Severe Storms Laboratory, which studies destructive storms, including tornadoes, and works to increase warning lead time. It also includes the Meteorological Development Laboratory, whose mission is to improve public-facing forecast and data products.

The proposed cuts come amidst the reduction of several weather balloon launches that collect critical data that feeds into NOAA, Canadian, and European forecast models.

Many of the sites reducing or eliminating weather balloon launches are directly upstream from Minnesota and will reduce data in critical areas upstream on severe weather days where severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are possible.

There is great concern in the weather community about losing critical data that feeds into weather models as severe weather season approaches.

Weather forecasting is one of the great science success stories of the last 50 years. Today’s three-day forecast is about as accurate as the five-day forecast was 20 years ago. The return on investment for NOAA’s budget has been calculated at anywhere form about 9 to 1 to 100 to 1.

As the number and severity of billion-dollar weather disasters increase, many in the science and insurance communities are questioning the wisdom of any cuts to NOAA, an agency that save lives and money for all Americans.

Stay tuned.