Is the National Weather Service Ready for an Extreme Summer?

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June 6, 2025 • 14 mins

The dedicated staff of the National Weather Service are responsible for the data that underpin your weather forecast and emergency alerts. DOGE Service cuts to the NWS are putting the collection and communication of those data at risk right as we enter a dangerous season of hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires and extreme heat in the U.S. Senior sustainability editor Andrea Thompson joins host Rachel Feltman to explain what the NWS does, why we need its expertise and what we risk when that expertise is lost. Recommended reading: How Trump’s National Weather Service Cuts Could Cost Lives https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-trumps-national-weather-service-cuts-could-cost-lives/ Why This Hurricane Season Has Experts on Edge https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/with-a-busy-2025-hurricane-season-forecast-staffing-cuts-and-warm-oceans/ E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper, Naeem Amarsy and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was hosted by Rachel Feltman with guest Andrea Thompson. Our show is fact-checked by Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Is the National Weather Service Ready for an Extreme Summer?