{"id":122,"date":"2025-06-25T15:21:33","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T15:21:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/?p=122"},"modified":"2025-07-22T17:23:02","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T17:23:02","slug":"weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Weathering the Storm: Agency Cuts Threaten Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\"><strong><em>Photo by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/pixabay.com\/users\/falcozen-43288380\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FalcoZen<\/a>\u00a0on Pixabay<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c829fc6f6ac609d429e4225390343154\">This past week, a friend of mine was driving east on I-80 in Iowa when she saw a massive storm cloud building ahead. Concerned, she called to ask what the radar was showing. I checked my phone and turned on the TV. Nothing. I called back to tell her not to worry. Not one storm cloud was showing in our area. I figured maybe what she saw wasn\u2019t a rain-bearing cloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7bc112940d838fa79995e1562dd0ffe3\">But a few minutes later, I heard thunder in the distance. It soon grew louder. Then the wind picked up, and the rain began. Before long, a torrential downpour began, accompanied by lightning and thunder. I checked my phone again. Now the radar showed a fairly significant storm moving through our area. The local TV station now had warnings running across the bottom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I called back but couldn\u2019t reach her. She might have taken a different route had that information been available sooner. But this storm had developed rapidly, as they often do in Iowa. Thankfully, she arrived safe and sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">I began to wonder if recent federal cuts to weather services had caused a delay in acquiring a radar signal. This is unlikely, but such a thought would never have occurred to me before 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Over the past six months, a troubling pattern has emerged<\/strong>\u2014one that suggests our ability to forecast, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather is being systematically weakened:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">The Trump administration\u2019s most recent budget proposal included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/11\/climate\/trump-noaa-budget-cuts\">hundreds of millions in cuts to NOAA<\/a> (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), gutting satellite programs and sharply scaling back funding for climate research.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">A key weather satellite program was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nesdis.noaa.gov\/about\/documents-reports\/notice-of-changes\/2025-notice-of-changes\/suspension-of-poes-data-users-after-june-16-2025\">postponed again<\/a>, jeopardizing our ability to track hurricanes, droughts, and Arctic ice loss in real time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/06\/02\/weather\/nws-rehiring-meteorologists\">Staffing reductions<\/a> and hiring freezes have left critical NOAA and National Weather Service (NWS) offices short-handed, putting immense pressure on remaining personnel to maintain forecasts and emergency alerts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">New <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/04\/11\/white-house-plan-guts-noaa-climate-research-00286408\">executive policies<\/a> have deprioritized climate science, restricting NOAA\u2019s ability to collect environmental data and continue long-term climate monitoring efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Why does all this matter? <\/strong>Because the choices being made at the federal level impact how quickly storms can be detected, how quickly reliable warnings can be issued, and, most importantly\u2014how much lead time communities have to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Meteorologists and emergency planners have publicly voiced their concerns about slower detection and delayed communication. In one notable instance, a veteran storm chaser described an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.koco.com\/article\/oklahoma-tornadoes-storms-ratings-nws\/62796144\">EF-3 tornado near Comanche Lake, Oklahoma<\/a> that reportedly went unwarned for a significant time\u2014he attributed the delay to diminished NWS resources, though no official inquiry has confirmed the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Warnings like these, from professionals on the front lines, suggest that our forecasting safety net is wearing thin. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/weather\/topstories\/ams-says-lack-of-funding-impeding-progress-in-forecasting-impacting-safety-economy\/ar-AA1GZL9G\">American Meteorological Society<\/a> has warned that underfunding is already impeding forecasting progress and could impact public safety. In hurricane-prone regions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc57.com\/news\/2025-hurricane-season-more-storms-less-support-6-13-25\">emergency managers are voicing concern<\/a> that reduced staffing and data gaps will cause warnings to come too late during what\u2019s expected to be an above-average season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Weakening these systems doesn\u2019t just introduce uncertainty\u2014it slows evacuation decisions and undermines public trust at the exact moment we need clear, credible communication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>So what can we do? <\/strong>We can speak up. Contact lawmakers. Demand full funding for NOAA and the NWS. These aren\u2019t abstract agencies\u2014they\u2019re our early warning system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">We can raise awareness. Share stories. Support leaders who act on science, not ideology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This isn\u2019t about politics. It\u2019s about preparedness\u2014about whether we\u2019ll see the next threat coming or only recognize it once it\u2019s already overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><strong>We\u2019re not powerless, but we are at a turning point.<\/strong> Protecting NOAA\u2019s satellites, research, and forecasting capabilities isn\u2019t just about weather predictions\u2014it\u2019s about safeguarding lives, homes, and our ability to respond to the increasing impacts of the climate crisis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo by\u00a0FalcoZen\u00a0on Pixabay This past week, a friend of mine was driving east on I-80 in Iowa when she saw a massive storm cloud building ahead. Concerned, she called to ask what the radar was showing. I checked my phone and turned on the TV. Nothing. I called back to tell her not to worry. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":132,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"<!-- wp:paragraph {\"style\":{\"elements\":{\"link\":{\"color\":{\"text\":\"var:preset|color|black\"}}}},\"textColor\":\"black\"} -->\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color\">This past week, a friend of mine was driving east on I-80 in Iowa when she saw a massive storm cloud building ahead. Concerned, she called to ask what the radar was showing. I checked my phone and turned on the TV. Nothing. I called back to tell her not to worry. Not one storm cloud was showing in our area. I figured maybe what she saw wasn\u2019t a rain-bearing cloud.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph {\"style\":{\"elements\":{\"link\":{\"color\":{\"text\":\"var:preset|color|black\"}}}},\"textColor\":\"black\"} -->\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color has-link-color\">But a few minutes later, I heard thunder in the distance. It soon grew louder. Then the wind picked up, and the rain began. Before long, a torrential downpour began, accompanied by lightning and thunder. I checked my phone again. Now the radar showed a fairly significant storm moving through our area. The local TV station now had warnings running across the bottom.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">I called back but couldn\u2019t reach her. She might have taken a different route had that information been available sooner. But this storm had developed rapidly, as they often do in Iowa. Thankfully, she arrived safe and sound.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">I began to wonder if recent federal cuts to weather services had caused a delay in acquiring a radar signal. This is unlikely, but such a thought would never have occurred to me before 2025.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Over the past six months, a troubling pattern has emerged<\/strong>\u2014one that suggests our ability to forecast, prepare for, and respond to extreme weather is being systematically weakened:<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:list -->\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li class=\"\">The Trump administration\u2019s most recent budget proposal included <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/04\/11\/climate\/trump-noaa-budget-cuts\">hundreds of millions in cuts to NOAA<\/a> (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), gutting satellite programs and sharply scaling back funding for climate research.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li class=\"\">A key weather satellite program was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nesdis.noaa.gov\/about\/documents-reports\/notice-of-changes\/2025-notice-of-changes\/suspension-of-poes-data-users-after-june-16-2025\">postponed again<\/a>, jeopardizing our ability to track hurricanes, droughts, and Arctic ice loss in real time.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/06\/02\/weather\/nws-rehiring-meteorologists\">Staffing reductions<\/a> and hiring freezes have left critical NOAA and National Weather Service (NWS) offices short-handed, putting immense pressure on remaining personnel to maintain forecasts and emergency alerts.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item -->\n\n<!-- wp:list-item -->\n<li class=\"\">New <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/04\/11\/white-house-plan-guts-noaa-climate-research-00286408\">executive policies<\/a> have deprioritized climate science, restricting NOAA\u2019s ability to collect environmental data and continue long-term climate monitoring efforts.<\/li>\n<!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<!-- \/wp:list -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\"><strong>Why does all this matter? <\/strong>Because the choices being made at the federal level impact how quickly storms can be detected, how quickly reliable warnings can be issued, and, most importantly\u2014how much lead time communities have to act.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">Meteorologists and emergency planners have publicly voiced their concerns about slower detection and delayed communication. In one notable instance, a veteran storm chaser described an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.koco.com\/article\/oklahoma-tornadoes-storms-ratings-nws\/62796144\">EF-3 tornado near Comanche Lake, Oklahoma<\/a> that reportedly went unwarned for a significant time\u2014he attributed the delay to diminished NWS resources, though no official inquiry has confirmed the cause.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">Warnings like these, from professionals on the front lines, suggest that our forecasting safety net is wearing thin. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msn.com\/en-us\/weather\/topstories\/ams-says-lack-of-funding-impeding-progress-in-forecasting-impacting-safety-economy\/ar-AA1GZL9G\">American Meteorological Society<\/a> has warned that underfunding is already impeding forecasting progress and could impact public safety. In hurricane-prone regions, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc57.com\/news\/2025-hurricane-season-more-storms-less-support-6-13-25\">emergency managers are voicing concern<\/a> that reduced staffing and data gaps will cause warnings to come too late during what\u2019s expected to be an above-average season.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">Weakening these systems doesn\u2019t just introduce uncertainty\u2014it slows evacuation decisions and undermines public trust at the exact moment we need clear, credible communication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\"><strong>So what can we do? <\/strong>We can speak up. Contact lawmakers. Demand full funding for NOAA and the NWS. These aren\u2019t abstract agencies\u2014they\u2019re our early warning system.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">We can raise awareness. Share stories. Support leaders who act on science, not ideology.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\">This isn\u2019t about politics. It\u2019s about preparedness\u2014about whether we\u2019ll see the next threat coming or only recognize it once it\u2019s already overhead.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p class=\"\"><strong>We\u2019re not powerless, but we are at a turning point.<\/strong> Protecting NOAA\u2019s satellites, research, and forecasting capabilities isn\u2019t just about weather predictions\u2014it\u2019s about safeguarding lives, homes, and our ability to respond to the increasing impacts of the climate crisis.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Weathering the Storm: Agency Cuts Threaten Safety - Welcome<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Weathering the Storm: Agency Cuts Threaten Safety - Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Photo by\u00a0FalcoZen\u00a0on Pixabay This past week, a friend of mine was driving east on I-80 in Iowa when she saw a massive storm cloud building ahead. Concerned, she called to ask what the radar was showing. I checked my phone and turned on the TV. Nothing. I called back to tell her not to worry. [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Welcome\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-25T15:21:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-22T17:23:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1.-Tornado_June_2025_Blog_Post-1024x1024.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Barbara Clark\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Barbara Clark\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Barbara Clark\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/afn.oev.mybluehost.me\/#\/schema\/person\/6b1d417ed093acd3cad8e98469ced8a7\"},\"headline\":\"Weathering the Storm: Agency Cuts Threaten Safety\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-25T15:21:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-22T17:23:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/\"},\"wordCount\":656,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/1.-Tornado_June_2025_Blog_Post.png\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/barbarahansonclark.com\/staging\/2134\/weathering-the-storm-how-recent-cuts-to-u-s-weather-agencies-threaten-our-climate-and-safety\/\",\"name\":\"Weathering the Storm: Agency Cuts Threaten Safety - 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Concerned, she called to ask what the radar was showing. I checked my phone and turned on the TV. Nothing. I called back to tell her not to worry. 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