US military reverses end to satellite weather sharing program

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed on Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Defense will no longer end the sharing of critical satellite weather information this year after the military’s plan to stop distributing forecast data from three old military satellites during hurricane season was met with pushback.

Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released a notice, saying, “Due to recent service changes, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) will discontinue ingest, processing and distribution of all DMSP data no later than June 30, 2025.”

According to USA Today, the U.S. military’s decision to stop providing satellite weather information over a year prior to the anticipated end of the program led to widespread backlash and resulted in the U.S. military extending the deadline to July 30.

ABC News reported that the U.S. Navy told the outlet that its Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center had initially “planned to phase out the data as part of a Defense Department modernization effort.” However, the Navy said that “after feedback from government partners, officials found a way to meet modernization goals while keeping the data flowing until the sensor fails or the program formally ends in September 2026.”

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In an updated alert on Wednesday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, “The Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) has announced plans to continue distribution of Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) data beyond July 31, 2025. As a result, there will be no interruption to DMSP data delivery.”

According to USA Today, Walter Meier, a research scientist at the University of Colorado’s National Snow and Ice Data Center, explained that the three Department of Defense Satellites that provide data to weather forecasters use microwave sounders to track rain and wind. Scientists told the outlet that while the U.S. military and federal agencies use the information for computer modeling purposes, the information is also viewed as critical for documenting details regarding the Earth’s polar regions and for obtaining hurricane data.

Following Wednesday’s confirmation that the aging military satellites would continue to distribute information to weather forecasters, Michael Lowry, National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Unit meteorologist, released a statement assuring the public that the agency’s “hurricane forecast tools should stay in tact.” Lowry added that a “crisis” was “averted” by the military reversing its original decision.