Weather Watch

Commercial Weather Forecasters Warn Against Breakup of NOAA

The notion of commercializing the agency’s responsibilities, including monitoring by its National Weather Service branch, worries many in the meteorology world.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Center for Weather and Climate Prediction headquarters in Maryland.

Photographer: Michael A. McCoy/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Welcome to Weather Watch, our weekly newsletter on how the planet’s ever wilder weather patterns are impacting the global economy. Got feedback and forecasts? Write us at weatherteam@bloomberg.net. And sign up here if you’re not on the list already.

As US President Donald Trump embarks on an aggressive cost-cutting spree, some conservatives are urging him to break up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and turn its functions over to private forecasters. But some don’t think that’s such a great idea.