Oh who needs to know anything about climate. It’s sunny, it’s raining, boom, you’re done.
Sweeping cuts to the premier US climate agency under Donald Trump have severely hampered the country’s capacity to forecast, research and respond to extreme weather events, former government officials and scientists have warned, as the US faces a cascade of hazards fueled by a potentially historic El Niño this winter.
Tsss what hazards. A little snow or breeze never hurt anyone.
From the start of his second term, the president has taken aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa), slashing staff levels, canceling contracts and grants, and shutting down databases and research laboratories. The agency that has long been considered a global crown jewel in climate science and forecasting has lost roughly 20% of its staff since January 2025.
The National Weather Service, which is housed within Noaa, has also taken a hit. Weather stations have had to delay data collection and cut operating hours, with hundreds of meteorological and other technical positions still vacant across its 122 forecast offices.
Ok so just make sure you always have a rain hat with you when you leave the house. Problem solved.
This year’s super El Niño, a climate phenomenon characterized by warmer than average equatorial sea surface temperatures, has the ability to fuel extreme weather events around the world. It’s already climbing off the charts and is expected to strengthen through the northern hemisphere’s autumn and winter.
Along with dangerous spikes in temperature, El Niño will supercharge storms in parts of the American west, raise sea levels in California by up to a foot, and set the stage for debris flows, landslides and flash floods.
Ok add a shovel to the rainhat. You’ll be fine.
Already, staffing limitations have shown up in delayed or limited weather balloon launches that left parts of the Great Plains unprepared for tornadoes and limited warnings to rural communities in Alaska, where more than 1,500 people were displaced by floods earlier this year.
Um…I guess…have an inflatable raft with you at all times?
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