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Hurricane Forecasters Lose Crucial Satellite Data, with Serious Implications
Microwave satellite data are key to capturing major changes in a hurricane’s strength, such as when a storm undergoes rapid intensification. But a main source of those data is being abruptly shut off
“It’s the only way really to see through clouds and get a sense of the organizational structure of the core of a developing cyclone.” Having that information can alert forecasters to rapid intensification or other major changes hours before they become apparent in other data—providing crucial time to warn people in harm’s way. In an e-mail to Scientific American, a spokesperson for the U.S. Space Force wrote that “DMSP satellites and instruments are still functional” and that DOD users will continue to receive the data. The loss of these data alone would be extremely concerning for forecast accuracy this hurricane season—but it comes on top of the broader cuts that have already been made to the National Weather Service and NOAA.
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