"Weather Satellites on the Chopping Block"

"As my colleagues Eric Lichtblau, Ron Nixon and I report in summary form in Thursday morning’s paper, the budget deal moving through Capitol Hill slashes funds that the Obama administration requested for a satellite program considered vital for the nation’s weather forecasting. That raises the prospect of less accurate forecasts and other problems, some of them potentially life-threatening, starting in 2016.

Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, warned at a Senate hearing on Wednesday that the cutbacks would probably lead to a serious gap in satellite data, undermining National Weather Service forecasts.

Research by her agency suggests that without the type of capability that the proposed satellites were expected to provide, the weather service might fumble forecasts of future events similar to the huge snowstorms that hit Washington and New York the last two winters."

Justin Gillis reports for the New York Times' Green blog April 14, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"Drought Grows More Dire In Southwest, Farms Hit" (ENS)

"Two People Killed as Storms Tear Through Oklahoma Town" (AP)

"Red River Crest Lowered, But Flood Among Largest" (Reuters)