As Hurricane Season Picks Up, Key Forecasting Tool Access Set to End
The US Navy will no longer distribute certain satellite readings, a move that will leave forecasters without important insights into storms’ strength and structure.
A satellite view of Hurricane Helene in the Gulf of Mexico in September 2024.
Image courtesy of NOAA
A week ago, US National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasters accurately predicted Hurricane Erick would explode in intensity as it hit Mexico’s Pacific coastline. Now, key tools that helped inform that outlook will go away by the end of this month, and it’s unclear if a replacement will be available as the Atlantic moves deeper into what’s expected to be an unusually active hurricane season.
The US Navy and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will no longer accept and distribute readings from the long-running Defense Meteorological Satellite Program after June 30, according to a service notice.