@davejorgenson: Hurricane forecasters will soon lose access to government satellite data vital to tracking hurricanes overnight and preventing what meteorologists once called a “sunrise surprise,” when a storm unexpectedly strengthens or shifts in the darkness. The Pentagon said Monday that it would wait until the end of July before it stops sharing the data — a month later than initially planned — in response to the high level of concern after the move was first announced last week. When the sun sets on a tropical cyclone, meteorologists typically continue to track its strength and development by observing microwave frequencies using Defense Department satellites. But the Pentagon said it will stop making that data publicly available “no later than” July 31, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office said Monday. In the notice, defense officials cited concerns from Karen St. Germain, director of the earth science division at NASA. Scientists were initially given less than a week to prepare for the loss of the microwave data. But some meteorologists worry that July is still too soon, and experts have raised concerns that the loss of data could set forecasting capabilities back decades. Caption from article by Scott Dance.

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Wednesday 02 July 2025 20:53:51 GMT