This weekend, a violent storm cell producing a tornado that raced along a 12 mile track just south of Champaign-Urbana. Fortunately, nobody was injured, but area saw damage to buildings and powerlines. Without NOAA warnings preceeding major storms like this, many will suffer without the warnings of severe weather.
Photo: NOAA/Unsplash
In addition to short-term storm predictions, like for the storm passing through Central Illinois on Sunday, data from NOAA helps farmers understand what to plant and when to harvest.
by Judith Ruiz-BranchIllinois News Connection
CHICAGO - One of many federal agencies facing cuts by the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and in states like Illinois with plenty of
extreme weather events, scientists said the cuts could threaten people's safety.
NOAA employees are bracing for expected layoffs of up to 20%, or more than 1,000 jobs. Among other roles, NOAA's National Weather Service provides data used by most weather forecasters, including for warnings and
advisories.
Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist and vice president of engagement for Climate Central, explained why NOAA data is critical.
"Because of NOAA data, we know when to evacuate ahead of storms, fires," Woods Placky outlined. "We know when not to evacuate, which is also really critical, because that saves a lot of money and a lot of time."
Just this week, Illinois saw severe rain and snowstorms, high winds and tornado and fire warnings. Woods Placky added beyond short-term predictions, data from NOAA helps farmers understand what to plant and when to harvest, especially as crop hardiness zones shift due to climate change.
NOAA's climate and
storm data dates back to 1950 and goes beyond U.S. borders. Woods Placky emphasized unstable governments can interrupt data gathering.
"When you get that gap in the data, it invalidates the long-term datasets," Woods Placky pointed out. "You can't carry it with the same weight to tease out longer-term trends to keep people safe and prepared on longer-term shifts that we're seeing."
She added global groups also use NOAA's data, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the United Nations.
Some argued services NOAA offers can instead be privatized.
David Dickson, TV engagement coordinator for the nonprofit Covering Climate Now, said it shows a misunderstanding.
"To argue against NOAA not being useful because we have private companies offering weather apps would be to argue against farmers because we have grocery stores," Dickson underscored. "It really does fund the invisible backbone of virtually everything we consume."