A Statement of the American Meteorological Society in Partnership with the National Weather Association
The administration’s 2026 budget passback plan, currently under consideration, eliminates NOAA’s Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) Office and its 10 research laboratories and 16 affiliated Cooperative Institutes, and moves the few remaining research efforts to different NOAA departments. If enacted, the passback would close all of NOAA’s weather, climate, and ocean Laboratories and Cooperative Institutes.
The speed at which these decisions are being made translates into little to no opportunity for feedback or consideration of long-term impacts. Without NOAA research, National Weather Service (NWS) weather models and products will stagnate, observational data collection will be reduced, public outreach will decrease, undergraduate and graduate student support will drop, and NOAA funding for universities will plummet. In effect, the scientific backbone and workforce needed to keep weather forecasts, alerts, and warnings accurate and effective will be drastically undercut, with unknown — yet almost certainly disastrous — consequences for public safety and economic health. As key stakeholders, AMS and NWA stand ready to provide our expertise so that the U.S. can maintain its competitiveness in the years ahead.
If you believe in the importance of NOAA research for maintaining and improving NWS forecasts and services to the nation then the time to act is now. Reach out to your elected representatives and share your concerns.
NOAA Research: Left: Flight operations (credit: NOAA Photo Library on Flickr); center: NOAA/National Severe Storms Laboratory X-Pol Mobile radar after a storm has passed overhead (credit: NOAA Photo Library on Flickr); right: Lightning over National Severe Storms Laboratory mobile mesonet, Oklahoma, Enid, May 15, 2009 (credit: NOAA Photo Library on Flickr)
To envision the disastrous impact of this plan, one only needs to see what NOAA research has provided to the U.S. taxpayer and imagine where we would be without it. For example, the work of NOAA Research Labs and Cooperative Institutes:
- Sparked and developed our national Doppler radar network. NOAA research proved that Doppler weather radars are critical for severe thunderstorm warnings. This research led directly to the creation of the national Doppler weather radar network, which provides the radar observations you see on television and on your phone, and which meteorologists use to keep you safe during hazardous and severe weather. The next generation of weather radar is now being developed in the same laboratories.
- Feeds National Weather Service forecasts. NOAA research created and continuously improves the two computer weather models used by the National Weather Service to generate hourly and daily weather forecasts. One model focuses on predicting severe weather and is used extensively by the transportation and energy sectors. Another model predicts global weather patterns across the world for the 3- to 14-day range, with forecast outlooks used by farmers, ranchers, and water managers.
- Helps us respond to hurricanes. The NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft that fly into Atlantic Ocean hurricanes collect essential observations to improve forecasts of hurricane landfall location and intensity, leading to better evacuation decisions and emergency response. This directly impacts public safety during extreme weather events.
- Helps us track airborne hazards. NOAA research developed and continuously improves models to track the release of hazardous materials, including toxins, wildfire smoke, and volcanic ash, to keep people out of danger–as well as creating specialized instruments to detect those airborne hazards.
- Keeps water treatment plants on track. NOAA implemented and operates a lake hypoxia warning system to help keep drinking water potable in the Great Lakes region.
- Warns communities of tsunamis. NOAA researchers developed and maintain the real-time tsunami monitoring system that plays a critical role in tsunami forecasting and helps keep coastal communities safe.
- Helps farmers and managers plan. NOAA created and runs an El-Niño information system to assist in seasonal forecasting of temperature and rainfall across the U.S. This helps farmers, ranchers, water managers, and electric utility companies make better decisions.
- Keeps water supplies more secure. NOAA research developed and continuously advances water information systems to better manage large reservoirs that supply water to towns, cities, and farmers across the nation.
- Addresses climate change. NOAA research has developed and improved climate models, the U.S. Climate Reference Network, and monitoring stations to learn about our changing climate and its causes.
Imagine what will happen to tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings if we don’t have a robust national weather radar network? What will happen to reservoir management when critical information on rainfall and runoff goes missing? What will happen when Hurricane Hunter aircraft are delayed or data from their instruments are not available to improve hurricane track and landfall forecasts? NOAA research affects the lives of American taxpayers every day. It is vital to the work of the National Weather Service and the NOAA mission to predict the environment and share that information with businesses, communities, state and local governments, and citizens.
NOAA Research costs every American citizen less than a cup of coffee a year, with large returns on this small investment. This is a prime example of effective government — one that helps grow the economy and keeps people safe.
Now is the time to reach out to your elected representatives. Consider installing the 5 Calls app on your phone to assist you. To find your Congressional Representative or Senator you can use these resources:
