Mass job terminations at the US agency NOAA began at the end of February 2025, followed by legal challenges. Losses include people collecting data, analysing data such as in real-time, modelling, and interpreting it all for predictions, projections, forecasts, warnings, preparedness, planning, and responses for atmospheric and oceanic phenomena.

Examples of immediate impacts for the USA and nearby countries:

1. Reduced aviation safety.
2. Deciding if and when to evacuate for tornadoes, thunderstorms, hurricanes, tsunamis, and vegetation fires.
3. Fishers, ferries, and shipping determining whether or not to head out to sea or the rivers/lakes–or to return to harbour.
4. Knowing when to be ready for power and communications outages from space weather.
5. Observing water quality, which assists for responding to pollution changes, such as leaks and spills.
6. Safety assessment for search-and-rescue, from mountains to oceans.

Examples of long-termer impacts:

1. Discouraging USA-based careers serving the public in atmospheric and oceanic sciences and applied sciences.
2. Fewer USA-based scientific collaborators for the world.
3. A step change in atmospheric and oceanic data availability for long-term analyses.
4. Less robust climate and climate change modelling.
5. Farmers lacking advanced seasonal projections to assist with crop planting, affecting food production.
6. The world learning and applying less from USA experience and expertise.

Many NOAA offices, particularly at the frontline of forecasting and warning, have long been short of staff. Irrespective of who ends up staying and who ends up going, our safety has received a major setback.