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10h ago

NOAA Retires Billion-Dollar Disaster Database Amid Deep Budget Cuts

The Trump administration's proposed 24% NOAA funding cut and workforce reductions are curtailing critical climate tracking and forecasting capabilities.

Aerial view of destroyed houses in Port St Lucie, Florida, after a tornado hit the area and caused severe damage as Hurricane Milton swept through Florida on October 11, 2024. The death toll from Hurricane Milton rose to at least 16 on October 11, 2024, officials in Florida said, as residents began the painful process of piecing their lives and homes back together. Nearly 2.5 million households and businesses were still without power, and some areas in the path cut through the Sunshine State by the monster storm from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean remained flooded. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL J. RODRIGUEZ CARRILLO/AFP via Getty Images)
FILE - An aerial photo shows the charred homes of Louise Hamlin, center left, and Chris Wilson, center right, after the Eaton Fire in Altadena, Calif., Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
FILE - Damage from Hurricane Milton is seen at a mobile home community on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - Melted metal and burned out cars sit destroyed in a driveway of a home burned by the wildfire that spread through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on Friday, Jan.17, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Overview

  • NOAA announced it will no longer update its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database after 2024, citing staffing changes and shifting priorities.
  • The Trump administration's FY2026 budget proposal includes a $1.5 billion reduction to NOAA funding, targeting climate research and satellite programs.
  • Layoffs and early retirements have reduced NOAA's workforce by over 10%, straining its ability to deliver accurate weather forecasts and severe storm warnings.
  • Experts warn that the loss of the database, which relied on proprietary data, will hinder research, insurance assessments, and understanding of climate change impacts.
  • Former NWS directors caution that staffing shortages could force forecast offices to operate part-time, increasing risks to public safety during extreme weather events.