National Weather Service suspending weather balloon releases in Omaha and Rapid City, South Dakota

[highplainsdem]

Source: KETV

The National Weather Service is suspending weather balloon releases in Omaha due to a lack of staffing, officials said in a release.

Weather balloon releases are also being suspended in Rapid City, South Dakota.

-snip-

The NWS launches weather balloons twice daily from 100 upper air sites throughout the United States, Caribbean and the Pacific Basin, officials said.

They are equipped with instruments to send back a wide range of atmospheric data to support forecasts, including temperature, dew points, humidity, wind speed, and direction.

-snip-

Read more: https://www.ketv.com/article/national-weather-service-suspends-weather-balloon-releases-omaha/64246070

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The article says they're reducing the number of balloon launches at some other sites to 1 per day.

Just found on Twitter, posted by meteorologist Matthew Cappucci:

So the north central US no longer needs accurate weather forecasts, according to DOGE?

[Blues Heron]

1. Trump: harming us eight ways to Sunday

Just another day in Republican paradise- tired of winning yet?

[highplainsdem]

4. Maybe they're afraid weather data that far north might also help Canada, and they can't have that.

[Hassler]

2. His farmers should write and thank him

For all he's doing to them.

[xocetaceans]

3. Tornadoes and other global-warming-enhanced acts of nature are a real estate developer's best friend. n/t

[Initech]

5. This administration is actively going to kill a whole lot of us, aren't they?

[dalton99a]

6. Musk to Americans: "That which kills you makes you stronger"

[ShazzieB]

17. If only something would kill him....

[highplainsdem]

7. Newsweek story on this tonight says Albany NY and Gray ME had this service suspended earlier this month:

https://www.newsweek.com/national-weather-service-suspends-critical-service-again-amid-doge-cuts-2048313


Why just northern states?

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Great! I live just north of Albany and that's where I get my weather

In fact I just watched it earlier today since not only is the meteorologist very good, he hosts a "Pet Connection" segment where I got my beloved rescue dog.

[Prairie Gates]

11. Nebraska and South Dakota are not really considered "northern" and are certainly not

Dem friendly states.

[highplainsdem]

12. Grand Junction CO, mentioned there, is also more central. But these are all in states in the

northern half of the country.

[Prairie Gates]

13. Northern half of the country is not what people mean by northern states

Come on. Plain language, please.

[highplainsdem]

14. Do you mean northern tier? That's different from northern. According to the regional map shown on

this CDC page, the north central region of the US goes far enough south to include Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio:

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/hus/sources-definitions/geographic-region.htm

This is the Northern Tier:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Tier_(United_States)

Notice that 6 states there in the middle of the country are at least in part as far north as what are called the Northern Tier states.

Anyway, people mean different things by northern states.

[synni]

26. I'm in Nebraska

Nebraska is very much considered part of "the northern Plains." My family has been here since the 1800's, so we know a little more about this kind of thing....

[SheltieLover]

27. Interesting

[highplainsdem]

8. National Weather Service article on these balloons:

https://www.weather.gov/gjt/education_corner_balloon

[Prairie Gates]

9. "So I'm supposed to believe what a balloon tells me about the weather?"

"What's next? Is an eyelash going to tell me who committed a murder? Tell me another one, scientists!"

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

25. I don't give a f*** what the weather is way up there, anyway.

My knee hurts, so I know it's gonna rain.

ditto:

[Tanuki]

15. Just in time for tornado season. 🌪😡

https://www.usatoday.com/story/graphics/2025/03/19/tornado-season-map-reports/82517079007/#:~:text=The%20months%20of%20March%2C%20April,with%20warm%2C%20humid%20Gulf%20air.

"The months of March, April, May and June are regarded as tornado season, according to the National Weather Service. Tornadoes are often spawned during thunderstorms in the central and eastern U.S. when cold Canadian air mixes with warm, humid Gulf air.

Over the past weekend, a tornado outbreak struck 13 states with 100 tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service as of March 19. Alabama, Arkansas, North Carolina, Missouri and Mississippi all reported deaths from severe weather and tornadoes."...(more)

[William769]

16. In the trending column this is the headline you see

"National Weather Service suspending weather". I was thinking to myself WTF? I've been having one of those days.

[SheltieLover]

28. ...

[groundloop]

18. Next: weather forecasts are inaccurate so we'll just go ahead and privatize NWS

We'll have to pay accuweather to get tornado warnings.

[xocetaceans]

23. As everyone knows, Holy Divination by Sharpie is all that is really needed to forecast weather. n/t

[truthisfreedom]

19. It doesn't matter to repukes, faux snooze provides

All the weather they need in the form of hot air.

[Punx]

20. Actually, this affects everyone worldwide.

As this data is inuput to all the global weather models and as a general rule, the more quality data incorporated at the initialization of the model run, the better the accuracy of the model output. And yes, for severe weather forecasting where accuracy and time is of the essense, this is a big problem.

[Buddyzbuddy]

21. What could possibly go wrong?

The jig is up for you you guys. No more kites or skateboards on the public dole either.
Leon and all of the other billionaires need to keep more of what others have earned for them.

[James48]

22. Just in time for Tornado season

Thanks, Elon.


When people die, it will be on all of you.

[eppur_se_muova]

24. DOGE to tornadoes: Come on down, nobody's watching ! nt