Did you check the weather forecast today?

Whether it was on your phone, the five-day outlook in your newspaper, or your friendly TV meteorologist, that forecast was built on a massive government-run network of sensors and computers that get the weather right more often than not while rarely getting the attention they deserve. And now that system is being taken apart, piece by piece.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the main US science agency that studies weather and climate, has already lost at least 2,000 workers since January thanks to a combination of layoffs, buyouts, and retirements. More job cuts may be looming. The White House says it wants to cut NOAA’s $6 billion budget by almost 30 percent. The upshot is that with these cuts, efforts to make forecasts even more accurate will stall, while existing forecasts may get worse.

Weather forecasts are not just about whether or not you need an umbrella; they provide critical planning information for air travel, farming, shipping, and energy production. And they also save lives.

In April, massive spring floods hit the central and southern US. Ahead of the storm, the National Weather Service (NWS) at NOAA warned of upward of 15 inches of rainfall. “This is not your average flood risk,” according to a NWS bulletin from April 2. “Generational flooding with devastating impacts is possible.”

The ensuing storms and floods killed at least 24 people, but given their extensive area, the death toll could have been much higher. In a report this week, scientists at the World Weather Attribution research group said that good storm predictions and effective emergency management were key to saving lives. Those forecasts and storm alerts were the product of decades of investment and infrastructure built up across the country.

“The US National Weather Service forecast the floods a week in advance and issued warnings throughout the event,”........

© Vox