New Delhi, India — For decades, National Weather Service (NWS) don dey release weather balloons for more than 100 sites across United States and for Pacific and Caribbean. Dis balloons dey launch twice a day, at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, and dem dey carry instruments wey dey measure temperature, humidity, and wind speed. As dem rise about 15 feet per second over two hours, dem dey send back data with radio waves. When air go too thin, dem go pop and fall back to ground with small parachutes.
But recent cuts to NWS staff under the Trump administration don cause at least 10 sites to limit or suspend the balloon launches. Meteorologists and experts don warn say this change go reduce the quality of weather forecasts and increase risks during severe weather. Matt Lanza, meteorologist from Houston, talk say, “There’s no question it will lead to errors. It’s just a matter of how bad will it be. We know these things help with forecasts, so why are we cutting them?”
Dis staff cuts dey part of broader downsizing across federal agencies, as Trump administration don cut over 600 employees from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), wey dey include NWS.
Over the last month, NWS don announce series of reductions in weather balloon launches. Dem first stop launches for Kotzebue, Alaska, then Albany, New York, and Gray, Maine. Recently, Omaha, Nebraska, and Rapid City, South Dakota, join for the list. States like Colorado, Michigan, Nebraska, South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming dey now only launch balloons once per day.
Chris Vagasky, research program manager for Wisconet, explain say the areas wey dem dey cut balloon launches now dey most critical for understanding severe weather. “The unfortunate thing is, where these balloons dey missing — the Colorado Rockies, the Wyoming Rockies, and the northern and central High Plains — na where many severe weather dey happen during spring and summer months,” Vagasky talk.
Weather balloons dey provide the best data about different layers in atmosphere. Dis data no fit easily be replaced by satellites or other equipment, so without dem, scientists go dey guess type of precipitation wey go happen. Nick Bassill, director of the State Weather Risk Communication Center at University at Albany, stress say, “Here in New York, we often have messy weather systems. We might have just one little thin layer that bumps you up above freezing, then suddenly your snowstorm turn into rainstorm or freezing rainstorm.”
Bassill don talk say weather balloons dey critical for accurate forecasting, and NASA research don show say dem data get second-largest impact on forecast quality after satellites. Meteorologists dey usually wait for balloon launches to gather crucial information before dem run weather models.
Vagasky, wey don work before with Vaisala, wey supply balloons, no say di NWS fit temporarily stop launches but di current reductions dey raise serious concerns. Helium shortages don cause temporary halts in Denver and Tallahassee in previous years. From previous stoppages and recent cuts, Vagasky go on to explain say, “We’ve gone from 200 balloons in the weather service network each day down about 15% in di last few years.”
He show say dis reduction fit lead to significant gaps for forecast models. Without weather balloons, forecast accuracy fit decline by 15%. Some private companies dey try to fill gaps left by NWS. WindBorne don offer to provide additional data from Alaska to NWS since di launches don stop.
John Dean, CEO of WindBorne, express concern over di cuts and talk say dem dey work with NOAA to feed data to di agency for six months at no cost. But, he don clarify say private companies no go fit replace the comprehensive service wey NOAA dey provide.
Sah, these weather balloons, na serious matter wey fit affect plenty lives during severe weather events. Stakeholders dey urge di administration to reconsider di cuts wey fit jeopardize public safety. As di debate continue, we fit be sure say di next weather forecasts go carry more surprises if nothing change soon.
