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News Articles: NOAA

An abandoned vehicle sits along the Swannanoa River in a landscape scarred by Hurricane Helene, on March 24, near Swannanoa, N.C.

Hurricane season has started. Here's what to know

The 2025 hurricane season officially began on Sunday. Forecasters are predicting an active season.

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By:
  • Shannon Bond
Resident Anne Schneider, right, hugs her friend Eddy Sampson as they survey damage caused by Hurricane Helene in Marshall, N.C. in 2024. Hurricanes cause billions of dollars of damage each year in the U.S. Most deaths from hurricanes are related to flooding, and many occur far from the coastline when heavy rain causes dangerous flash floods.

Forecasters predict above-average hurricane season again

Forecasters expect 13 to 19 storms to form in the Atlantic between June 1 and the end of November. At least 6 of those are forecast to be full-blown hurricanes.

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By:
  • Rebecca Hersher
On Sept. 26, 2024, at 11:10 p.m. EDT, NOAA’s GOES East satellite captured Hurricane Helene making landfall near Perry, Florida, just east of the Aucilla River's mouth. With winds reaching 140 mph, the Category 4 storm ranks among the most powerful to strike the United States.

2025's Atlantic hurricane predictions are in: 'Get ready for another busy season,' experts warn

With warmer-than-normal ocean waters, forecasters predict above-normal activity in the Atlantic. But they don’t think the 2025 hurricane season, which begins June 1, will be as chaotic as 2024.

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Neighbors Tyrone Allen, left, and Jared Middleton work together to clear a downed pecan tree from in front of Middleton’s home in Dublin, Ga. Hurricane Helene was likely still a category 1 hurricane when its eye passed over Dublin some 240 miles north of the Gulf of Mexico.

Climate scientists predict above average hurricane season in 2025

Forecasts show numbers are likely to be higher than average, but still below the record-high storm predictions in 2024.

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A flooded street with debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, in Siesta Key, Fla., on October 10, 2024. The monster weather system sent tornadoes spinning across the state and flooded swaths of the Tampa Bay area after the storm rapidly intensified to a top-of-scale category 5 major hurricane.

Scientists say NOAA cuts by Trump undermine improvements in hurricane forecasts

The Trump administration is targeting top climate and weather labs for cuts. Insiders worry about the impact on research and NOAA's ability to forecast severe weather like hurricanes and tornadoes.

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By:
  • Greg Allen
A precipitation monitor from the Southeast Regional Climate Center.

What lost funding for weather data centers could mean for Georgia, according to climatologists

Data housed by the Regional Climate Centers includes drought maps, air quality visualization and precipitation and temperature averages by state going back more than 100 years.

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NOAA satellites captured an image of 2022's Hurricane Ian. Data from those satellites and other NOAA efforts feeds into hurricane forecasts, as well as efforts to understand weather, climate, and fisheries changes. A proposed budget for the agency would slash more than 25% of its funding.

Major budget cuts proposed for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

The agency forecasts weather, manages fisheries, and researches the world's oceans, atmosphere, and climate. The proposed budget cuts would slash the climate work entirely.

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By:
  • Alejandra Borunda
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in March to protest Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts to the agency. The Trump administration continues to make major staffing and programming changes at the agency.

NOAA contracts are being reviewed one by one. It's throwing the agency into chaos

NOAA relies on hundreds of contracts to keep the agency running. The new commerce secretary is reviewing many of them individually, causing disruptions to many normal operations within the agency.

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By:
  • Alejandra Borunda
A protester holds a sign: "Science Saves Lives"

Protesters rally for science and against federal cuts at state Capitol

More than 100 scientists, researchers and their supporters showed up for a rally outside the state Capitol on Friday afternoon as part of a national day of action.

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Brad Reinhart, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, tracks Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 season, at the National Hurricane Center on July 1, 2024, in Miami.

Layoffs and potential closures of key facilities raise worries about NOAA's future

The Trump administration may end leases for some of NOAA's offices while the agency terminates several advisory committees at the important weather and climate agency.

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By:
  • Julia Simon,
  • John Ryan,
  • and 2 more
A hurricane specialist looks at a satellite image of Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 season. The National Hurricane Center provides forecasts of major storms, many of which make landfall in the U.S.. The Center is part of NOAA, the country's oceans- and atmosphere-focused agency. Experts say ongoing staff cuts at the agency could endanger some of its core missions, like forecasting weather.

Trump administration layoffs hit NOAA, agency that forecasts weather, hurricanes

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration houses key groups like the National Weather Service. Experts warn the consequences of employee cuts could be drastic.

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By:
  • Alejandra Borunda,
  • Michael Copley,
  • and 2 more
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration includes the National Hurricane Center, which researches hurricanes and provides weather updates and forecasts for the dangerous storms. Employees at the agency are worried the Trump administration will cut support for their work.

Trump officials signal potential changes at NOAA, the weather and climate agency

Federal workers at the home agency for the National Weather Service are concerned about a potential overhaul by Trump officials focused on cutting government costs.

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By:
  • Alejandra Borunda,
  • Michael Copley,
  • and 1 more
Neil Jacobs, an atmospheric scientist, is Trump's pick to head NOAA.

Trump picks Neil Jacobs to head NOAA, a scientist with 'Sharpiegate' ties

President Trump has nominated Neil Jacobs to head NOAA. Some former NOAA employees are concerned about Jacobs' scientific integrity after his prior involvement in "Sharpiegate."

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By:
  • Alejandra Borunda and
  • Julia Simon
The National Hurricane Center's seven-day tropical weather outlook on July 30, 2024, at 1:16 p.m. shows the potential path of a tropical disturbance.

Tropical system aims toward Georgia as state awaits first cyclone of the hurricane season

If it becomes at least a tropical depression, the system would be named Debby.

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A satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Idalia, center, over Florida and crossing into Georgia, and Hurricane Franklin, right, as it moves along off the East coast of the U.S., on Aug. 30, 2023.

La Niña is likely to arrive this summer. Here's what that means for hurricane season

Forecasters say the warming climate pattern El Niño is officially over. Its cooling counterpart, La Niña, could develop as soon as July — just in time to exacerbate an above-average hurricane season.

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By:
  • Rachel Treisman