LSU climatologist warns DOGE NOAA cuts may disrupt weather forecasting

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) – Additional cuts have been handed down to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), reducing the department by a total of about 20%, according to the Associated Press.

A Louisiana State University professor and department chair believes this could mean trouble when it comes to providing up to date weather information.

NOAA has had to cut about 2,000 positions as part of the DOGE cuts to federal spending. The organization is known as the most trusted place for climate and weather data. They not only forecast major storms, but aid in commerce and disaster preparation. All the National Weather Service offices across the country rely on their data for their forecasts.

“People might perceive that that weather app on their phone and access to the Weather Channel don’t go away with NOAA, however, the data that they are utilizing on those platforms and on those sites by and large is coming from the National Weather Service Connected Network,” LSU Hurricane Climatologist Jill Trepanier said.

Trepanier believes those cuts could mean major disruptions in how weather is forecasted and gaps in data that people need to determine how to care for their homes and bodies and when to evacuate an area.

“We need to make sure that we’re spending money the way that we’re supposed to,” Trepanier said. “But it’s a dangerous thing if you start taking it from places where that is a public service that need to try to maintain their success in their day to day.”

Some more rural areas across the country that already have coverage gaps are even more short-staffed. Some are cutting back on releasing weather balloons that collect critical data.

“If we reduce that spatial resolution and we start getting gaps in between coverage in time and space, that only perpetuates to more error,” Trepanier said. “The weather never stops moving, never stops flowing. And so if we have a big, say, blank spot in what we thought would happen overnight, we then are catching up the next morning.”

With hurricane season around the corner, there could be new challenges with getting information out to the community with the more limited resources.

“If that goes away, the ability to plan ahead for happy things and to be prepared for less than happy and much more severe things starts to get diminished. And I see problems with safety,” Trepanier said.

Even in the places where staff may be prioritized, such as areas along the Gulf, if there are reductions Trepanier said if there isn’t 24 hour monitoring then it could lead to increased danger for the public.

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