U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost, (D-FL) condemned the Trump administration for shutting down key hurricane forecast satellites.
“In the middle of hurricane season, the Trump Administration is shutting down a satellite program that's crucial for hurricane forecasting,” he said.
Rep. Frost explained that “this will make it harder for millions in Florida and beyond to get accurate and timely information to stay safe. It’s a damn shame.
The U.S. Department of Defense is abruptly shutting down a satellite program that many meteorologists claim is crucial for extreme weather forecasting.
This shutdown comes up just as “above-normal” Atlantic hurricane season is picking up.
In an article by NOTUS, James Franklin, who served as the National Hurricane Center chief until 2017, explained that these specific satellites are a part of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program and provide hurricane forecasters with real-time imagery and data and are especially important for monitoring storms at night.
“Things are being taken away all across the forecasting enterprise. This particular one is going to result in delays in the recognition from [the National Hurricane Center] that storms are strengthening,” Franklin said. “It’ll result in delays in forecasts of rapid intensification because often, the first clue that you’re going to have rapid intensification is this imagery.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) outlook for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which goes from June 1 to November 30, predicts a 30% chance of a near-normal season, a 60% chance of an above-normal season, and a 10% chance of a below-normal season.
The agency is forecasting a range of roughly 13 to 19 total named storms (storms with winds of 39 mph or higher). Forecasters expect 6 to 10 of those storms to become hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher, and they predict 3 to 5 of those hurricanes will strengthen into major hurricanes—Category 3, 4, or 5—with winds of 111 mph or higher.
NOAA has a 70% confidence in these ranges.
