DoD Shuts Down Satellite Hurricane Data, Raising Concerns Ahead of Peak Season

TAMPA – The U.S. Department of Defense will stop processing and transmitting real-time microwave data from its weather satellites by June 30, a move that forecasters warn will severely degrade hurricane forecasting capabilities.

The decision, confirmed Tuesday through a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) service notice, permanently ends the flow of data from the The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). Data from the three DMSP satellites is critical for tracking storm structure and intensity. These satellites currently provide nearly half of all microwave satellite imagery used in forecasts.

Microwave data allow forecasters to see beneath cloud tops, especially at night. The microwave data from DMSP is one of the main ways the NOAA detects signs of rapid storm intensification overnight. Without it, experts say the risk of a “sunrise surprise” — discovering too late that a storm has intensified overnight — will grow significantly.

Retired National Hurricane Center branch chief James Franklin said the loss will cause “poorer track forecasts” due to increased uncertainty in storm positioning, especially for weaker systems.

Though NOAA operates other satellites with microwave capabilities, the loss of the DoD data will cut global microwave coverage in half. The military’s newer Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) satellite, launched in 2024, is not currently accessible to civilian forecasters. No information is available about when — or even if — WSF-M will become available to non-military meteorologists.

Officials at the National Hurricane Center were reportedly caught off guard by the abrupt termination. With no immediate Atlantic threats forecast, forecasters are preparing for a challenging peak hurricane season with diminished observational tools.

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