A vital satellite for hurricane tracking is set to stop operating in just a few weeks, coinciding with the start of the Atlantic storm season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Defense have pointed fingers at the media for stoking fears surrounding this shutdown, yet important data collection will continue.
The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP)—shared between NOAA and the Defense Department—will cease operations on Monday due to federal budget cuts affecting various agencies. This was announced recently.
“The changes and service terminations are going to be permanent,” an official stated in the announcement, but no reasons were provided regarding the decision to halt significant services or any potential replacements.
A NOAA spokesperson noted that, despite these changes, other satellites equipped with microwave instruments will still deliver crucial measurements.
Meanwhile, a NOAA representative criticized media outlets for “attacking” scientists and suggesting modifications to services that could provoke public alarm.
“DMSP represents a key dataset among a wide array of hurricane prediction tools held by the National Weather Service, which includes microwave sensing data from the newly launched WSF-M satellite,” he added.
Despite this clarification, specialists express concern that the reduction in data availability could impede the capability to track hurricanes, recognize shifts in storm structures, and make real-time predictions about storm paths.
Forecasters depend heavily on polar orbiting satellites with microwave sensors to assess wind speeds and gather other relevant data, particularly at night when other observation methods are limited.
“This is a serious setback for hurricane predictions and affects tens of millions of people living in areas vulnerable to hurricanes,” remarked Michael Laurie, a hurricane specialist based in South Florida.
Laurie continued, “Waking up to unexpected tropical storms and hurricanes is a worst-case scenario,” underlining that losing this satellite data stream could lead to harsh “sunrise surprises.”
Additionally, microwave observations aid meteorologists in pinpointing the center of storms, and Laurie cautioned that being even a few miles off can have “huge implications.”
Although some military satellites remain operational, their data isn’t processed by federal agencies anymore.
Andy Hazelton, a hurricane modeling expert at the University of Miami, expressed concern, saying, “I don’t want data that isn’t useful.” He pointed out that there’s already a shortage of microwave data available for operational needs.
The news about the program’s suspension came just two days following the formation of Andrea, the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which emerged in the Central Atlantic on Tuesday morning.
The hurricane season typically continues until the end of November.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Defense has offered a timely response to requests for comment.
