On February 27, the Dept. of Government Efficiency (DOGE) fired hundreds of weather forecasters and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees. Over the next few days, the Trump administration announces plans to shut down a central hub of weather forecasting centers, cancelling leases for two critical NOAA locations.
The United States’ ability to forecast the weather is in jeopardy as one of those locations maintains the supercomputers that run our weather prediction models.
One of the buildings is the nerve center for generating national weather forecasts. It was designed to integrate multiple forecasting centers in one building to improve operating efficiency. It houses telecommunications equipment to send weather data and forecasts across the U.S. and abroad.
Axios
On the administration’s cancellation list is the NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction, which houses the National Weather Service’s National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The facility is responsible for the computer models used in day-to-day weather forecasting in the United States.
According to a NOAA employee, it could take over a year to replicate the services provided at the center at a new location. It’s unclear when the lease will end.
The Radar Operations Center, responsible for maintaining the country’s Doppler weather radars, is also on the list. It is expected to shut down September 30, 2025 and may not be alone.
More lease cancellations are expected by DOGE, and the NOAA is allegedly preparing to terminate around 50% of its employees nationwide.
