Satellites crucial to hurricane forecasting were set to go dark. But feds have reversed course.

The federal government is reversing course on a plan to cut crucial hurricane forecasting satellite data following pushback from meteorologists and government officials nationwide. 

Erica Grow Cei, a spokesperson for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said Tuesday that data collected through the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program would continue to be distributed for the foreseeable future. 

DMSP satellites, which are operated by NOAA and the U.S. Air Force, provide environmental and weather information used both in the planning of U.S. military operations and NOAA’s weather forecasts, according to the agency.

While Grow Cei said the program represents just one dataset in "a robust suite" of hurricane forecasting and modeling tools used by NOAA, hurricane and weather experts say the loss of DMSP satellites, which offer unique capabilities that help scientists track storms at night and spot signs of rapid intensification, would be a devastating blow. 

The U.S. Department of Defense first announced plans to halt data collection through the program in late June, with the suspension slated for June 30. No reasoning was provided in a service notice issued by NOAA on June 26. 

The news came as a shock to local and national weather forecasters, many of whom complained of having little to no notice regarding the critical change. They also complained of poor timing — the announcement came a month into the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 through Nov. 30. 

Michael Lowry, a Miami-based meteorologist and hurricane specialist, said the elimination of DMSP data was the biggest hit to U.S. hurricane forecasting capabilities in "a very long time." 

On June 30, NOAA announced that the suspension date had been delayed to "no later than July 31" in response to concerns raised by personnel at NASA. In that notice, the agency said the program was being decommissioned "to mitigate a significant cybersecurity risk," though officials didn't provide further details. 

NOAA's latest announcement comes just a week after the U.S. Navy confirmed to Lowry that the plan to halt data processing on July 31 was still a go. 

A spokesperson for the U.S. Navy said Tuesday that officials had planned to discontinue the satellite data as part of a Defense Department "modernization effort." 

"But after feedback from government partners, officials found a way to meet modernization goals while keeping the data flowing until the sensor fails or the program formally ends in September 2026," the spokesperson said. 

Hurricane and weather forecasters celebrated the reversal as at least a temporary win. Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said the plan had faced its fair share of pushback from government officials, many of whom asked that the program continue at least through the end of hurricane season.

'Cautiously optimistic'

New Orleans meteorologist Scot Pilié said he was relieved to hear the news. But, after the whiplash over DMSP data and broader cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service by the Trump administration, Pilié remains skeptical of the program’s future.

"This is a good thing," Pilié said. "I'm very happy. But, you know, we'll see what happens next."

The reversal is good news for the current hurricane season as it inches ever closer to the time of year when tropical activity in the Atlantic Ocean is historically at its peak, from mid-August through October.

Roughly 86% of all tropical activity occurs after Aug. 2, Pilié said, and the loss of such an important hurricane forecasting tool at the end of July would have almost certainly had immediate consequences. 

What this means for Louisiana 

While traditional satellites essentially take photos of the Earth's surface, Pilié said microwave satellites like those associated with DMSP give scientists a look "under the hood of a storm," allowing them to analyze the structure, intensity and changes happening within a storm's core.

This, he said, is especially important at night and in between Hurricane Hunter missions, when many other kinds of satellites struggle to collect data. Hurricane Hunters are often hailed as one of most useful tools available to forecasters, but Pilié said they can't fly into every storm. 

If a storm were rapidly strengthening off Louisiana's coast, Pilié said, DMSP satellites would give forecasters a clearer picture of the changes happening inside, information that would go straight into the hurricane models that inform the National Hurricane Center's forecasts and, thus, the region's emergency planning efforts.

The elimination of that data, he said, would lead to less accurate hurricane forecasts. 

"Less data in means worse data out," Pilié said. 

More cuts on the horizon?

The Trump administration has made sweeping cuts to NOAA and NWS since January, leaving nearly half the weather service's 122 local field offices with vacancy rates of more than 20% by early April, according to data collected by the Associated Press. 

Some offices were so short-staffed they were forced to cut down on weather balloon launches and overnight staffing, leading meteorologists across the county to voice concerns about the nation's weather forecasting capabilities, particularly during natural disasters and the current hurricane season, which is expected to bring above-average activity.

Though NWS announced plans in June to hire 126 workers and transfer existing employees to its most understaffed offices, Trump unveiled a budget proposal this month that signals more cuts could be on the way next fiscal year. 

The proposed budget would close 10 NOAA climate research labs, including one in Miami that sends Hurricane Hunters into storms to collect data, according to a report by The New York Times. It would also make major cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and a federal program that uses river gauges to predict floods, changes the White House says are needed to improve efficiency.