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yesterday

U.S. Cuts Key Hurricane Satellite Data Ahead of Peak Season

The permanent shutdown of DMSP microwave feeds on June 30 will halve the hurricane-tracking data available to forecasters.

FILE - Debris is strewn on the lake in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Oct. 2, 2024, in Lake Lure, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)
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FILE - A property owner, who preferred not to give his name, peers into the remains of the second floor unit where he lived with his wife while renting out the other units, on Manasota Key, in Englewood, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Milton, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
FILE - A collapsed building is visible after Hurricane Milton, on Manasota Key, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Overview

  • The Department of Defense announced it will stop ingesting, processing and transmitting real-time SSMIS microwave data from three aging DMSP satellites, and NOAA confirmed the service change notice making the cutoff permanent on June 30, 2025.
  • SSMIS microwave scans account for roughly half of all forecasters’ interior storm observations, offering critical insights into hurricane structure and rapid intensification, especially overnight.
  • Experts warn that losing these feeds will degrade forecast accuracy, raise the risk of missed rapid intensification events and reduce lead time for emergency warnings.
  • Although the Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) satellite launched in 2024, its data remains unavailable to forecasters with no clear timeline for replacement.
  • The data termination compounds earlier NOAA and National Weather Service budget cuts and staffing shortages that have already curtailed weather balloon launches and strained broader climate monitoring, including polar sea ice tracking.