In the midst of hurricane season, US reversals on weather cooperation cause trouble in the Caribbean

For meteorologists in North America and the Caribbean, this is the unexpected outcome of a harrowing saga that has kept them on tenterhooks for over a month: the US government reversed, at the last minute, a potentially far-reaching decision regarding hurricane monitoring, while the hurricane season is in full swing in the North Atlantic.

Data collected by three U.S. military satellites, equipped with very high-resolution microwave sensors that enable precise monitoring of hurricane events, will continue to be made available to meteorological services after the July 31 deadline. The transmission of data from the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program "will not be interrupted," the U.S. Navy announced in a terse statement dated Wednesday, July 30.

At the end of June, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – a federal agency – caused consternation among scientists by suddenly announcing the end of sharing the satellite data it collects in partnership with the Department of Defense. The Pentagon cited vague "cybersecurity" concerns as the reason for the decision, which was supposed to take effect on June 30, before a one-month reprieve was subsequently granted. This came as the hurricane season, which usually occurs in August and September in the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Gulf of Mexico, is entering its most intense period.

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