NOAA's data and support are crucial for meteorologists, but recent cuts proposed by Elon Musk's Department of Governmental Efficiency threaten the agency’s staff and its critical weather services. Over 1,300 employees, including forecasters, are affected, prompting concerns among broadcast meteorologists who depend heavily on NOAA for accurate and life-saving weather information. Professional opinions highlight that without NOAA's resources—like atmospheric data from weather balloons—local forecasts could be significantly weakened, potentially putting many lives at risk.
"NOAA and the National Weather Service - they are the backbone of meteorology for the entire country," said Ryan Phillips, a meteorologist for NBC 6 and an instructor at the University of Miami.
When I do my daily forecasting, I look at all the suites of models, the satellites, the radar imagery. All those types of things are maintained by NOAA," said CBS News New York meteorologist Tony Sadiku.
KQ2 meteorologist Vanessa Alonso said, "Almost all of it" in response to how much of her data comes from NOAA.
Sadiku said that while he does consult a variety of sources, including in-house models from his station, NOAA plays a "critical role," and the information they gather is more robust than what individual meteorologists can collect.
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