Defense officials announced in late June that they would terminate a feed of satellite data, giving meteorologists just a few days’ notice for storm tracking systems. As forecasters raised concerns that any loss of data that helps detect fast-strengthening storms could increase the risks they pose to coastal communities, the Pentagon extended that timeline to July 31. Via the Washington Post:
Officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday that they now expect “no interruption” in the data their meteorologists receive through what is known as the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, which includes microwave-based observations that reveal storm activity even through the cover of darkness.
U.S. Navy officials said the branch’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center had planned to phase out the data as it prepares to replace the aged satellites by next year.
“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,” a Navy spokesperson said in an email.
[...] Meteorologists have said such microwave data is vital as more hurricanes are undergoing rapid intensification, transforming from modest and disorganized systems into major Category 5 storms within a matter of hours. Global warming, as a result of fossil fuel combustion-based emissions and the greenhouse effect, is giving storms more energy to intensify, studies have shown.
