March 14, 2025 • 5 mins
In this urgent episode of the Weather Whys Podcast, we discuss NWS privatization and the critical understaffing of National Weather Service offices due to recent cuts influenced by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency. The episode explores the history and growth of private sector meteorology, including AccuWeather’s controversial role in monopolizing weather data, ... Read more
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Ed Oswald (00:00):
In this episode of the Weather Whys Podcast there's no intro, no frills.
(00:04):
I'm your host Ed Oswald, and Iwant to communicate the seriousness
of what's going on right now.
So let's discuss NOAA.
As we speak, Elon Musk and the Departmentof Government Efficiency, better known
as DOGE, have set their sights on NOAA.
The results have been devastating.
Ahead of the severe weatherseason, 11 of 38 National Weather
Service offices are now criticallyunderstaffed in Tornado Alley.
(00:26):
That means that there arenot enough employees to staff
all services completely.
The cuts not only affected newemployees at NOAA, but recently
promoted seasoned veterans, too.
In one case, it involved the personresponsible for creating the nation's
next generation weather models.
These moves put lives at risk.
What's the reason?
That's the question everybodywants an answer for.
(00:47):
But one company in particular haswaited for this moment to occur.
But first, a little background.
There's been incredible growth inprivate sector meteorology over the past
20 years, and there's reason for it.
In the early days of the internet,access to weather data was not public
nor free, and was quite expensive.
Corporations successfully lobbied thefederal government to ban the direct
public dissemination of weather datafrom Federal agencies like NOAA.
(01:11):
This was a sweetheartdeal for AccuWeather.
In just two decades, the companyhad grown from a small group of Penn
State grads to one of the largestprivate weather firms in the world.
While most of us see and hear theirweather forecast on TV and radio every
day, it was and still is a major providerof weather data to meteorologists.
The free for all nature of theinternet threatened AccuWeather's
bottom line, as it sold online accessto satellites, radar, and model
(01:34):
data for about $20 to $40 per month.
Now, that seems normal, butthis is in 1990s dollars.
That would cost about $30to $60 per month today.
To say AccuWeather made bank on thisarrangement was an understatement.
They had up to the minute datawhen others were hours behind, and
useless in quick moving events.
I know (01:52):
I spent a good portion of my paychecks in high school
and college on the service,called AccuWeather Professional.
AccuWeather had thousands of subscribers,including academia, weather enthusiasts,
and the few independent private sectormeteorologists there were at that time.
In every way, it monopolized weather data.
The weather community fought back,pointing out that AccuWeather had no
right to dictate the release of publicdata funded by the American taxpayer.
(02:16):
The private sector owes its veryexistence to this change in policy.
AccuWeather founderswere pissed off about it.
I wrote about this exact topic20 years ago, which I've left
a link in the show description.
Joel and Barry Myers, AccuWeather'sfounders, have been trying to defund
the National Weather Service for years.
AccuWeather's intense lobbying waseven why Republicans couldn't support
(02:36):
Barry Myers's appointment in thefirst Trump Administration to head
NOAA because he wanted to privatizethe National Weather Service.
He wasn't coy about it.
But I don't want to make this soundlike AccuWeather alone is behind
this (02:47):
they're just the biggest player.
There are others with advanced degreesin meteorology peddling similar nonsense.
One of these individuals, Dr. CliffMass, even has a popular podcast, which
you may be subscribed to right now.
I mention Dr. Mass in particular ashe made a comment in a blog post of
his in late February, quoting him
(03:06):
" National Weather Service forecasts produced by local offices are generally
less skillful than the Weather Channel,Apple, and leading private sector firms.
" I pause to give you some time to take that in.
Yes, he really said that.
Not only is it laughably false, but italso fails to mention that the Weather
Service is forced to do this becauseit might take something away from what
they call " private weather firms."
(03:28):
Just look at the storm onset graphicsused by some Weather Service
offices, and you'll see what I mean.
They look like a five year oldsplattered neon paint on a map
and are impossible to read.
But that's not the NationalWeather Service's fault.
It's the lobbyists.
Hobble scientists, and they'regoing to give you hobbled results.
There is ample evidence that understaffedoffices had led to Americans dying
because of a lack of warnings.
(03:49):
But to put Apple forecasts as moreskillful than a National Weather
Service Office is probably one ofthe most ridiculous statements I've
ever heard in a long time... andweather people say some crazy things.
Folks, this isn't to criticize anyonepersonally, however making false
statements as a scientist is doubly bad.
I can only imagine a world where ourGOES satellites are sold off to the
highest bidder... which will obviouslybe AccuWeather... and these folks
(04:12):
have nothing they can do about itother than to hope for a change in
policy in 2026 with a new Congress.
Our radar system is perilouslyclose to the end of its lifespan.
Are we to expect private industryto be so generous in providing
free next generation radar?
Of course not.
This seems to be a coordinated effortby individuals and companies with
long standing animosity towardspublic services, and these sudden cuts
(04:34):
are meant to manufacture a crisis.
Our weather models don't "suck" becausethey're inaccurate: they're as underfunded
as the rest of environmental science.
And folks like the Myers', Dr. Mass,and many others are using distraction
tactics around climate change tocripple the National Weather Service
on purpose for financial gain.
We try to steer clear of politicshere, but we live in a world
(04:54):
where weather data wasn't free.
One company in particular benefited.
This just won't hurt the NationalWeather Service and NOAA, but the
hundreds of private sector weathercompanies that have been able to flourish
as a result of free weather data.
So what can you do?
Get involved.
For more, please visit our websiteat the weather station experts.
com forward slash supporthyphen the hyphen nws.
(05:17):
We have that link in the description.
We cannot go down this path again.
In this episode of the Weather Whys Podcast there's no intro, no frills.
(00:04):
I'm your host Ed Oswald, and Iwant to communicate the seriousness
of what's going on right now.
So let's discuss NOAA.
As we speak, Elon Musk and the Departmentof Government Efficiency, better known
as DOGE, have set their sights on NOAA.
The results have been devastating.
Ahead of the severe weatherseason, 11 of 38 National Weather
Service offices are now criticallyunderstaffed in Tornado Alley.
(00:26):
That means that there arenot enough employees to staff
all services completely.
The cuts not only affected newemployees at NOAA, but recently
promoted seasoned veterans, too.
In one case, it involved the personresponsible for creating the nation's
next generation weather models.
These moves put lives at risk.
What's the reason?
That's the question everybodywants an answer for.
(00:47):
But one company in particular haswaited for this moment to occur.
But first, a little background.
There's been incredible growth inprivate sector meteorology over the past
20 years, and there's reason for it.
In the early days of the internet,access to weather data was not public
nor free, and was quite expensive.
Corporations successfully lobbied thefederal government to ban the direct
public dissemination of weather datafrom Federal agencies like NOAA.
(01:11):
This was a sweetheartdeal for AccuWeather.
In just two decades, the companyhad grown from a small group of Penn
State grads to one of the largestprivate weather firms in the world.
While most of us see and hear theirweather forecast on TV and radio every
day, it was and still is a major providerof weather data to meteorologists.
The free for all nature of theinternet threatened AccuWeather's
bottom line, as it sold online accessto satellites, radar, and model
(01:34):
data for about $20 to $40 per month.
Now, that seems normal, butthis is in 1990s dollars.
That would cost about $30to $60 per month today.
To say AccuWeather made bank on thisarrangement was an understatement.
They had up to the minute datawhen others were hours behind, and
useless in quick moving events.
I know (01:52):
I spent a good portion of my paychecks in high school
and college on the service,called AccuWeather Professional.
AccuWeather had thousands of subscribers,including academia, weather enthusiasts,
and the few independent private sectormeteorologists there were at that time.
In every way, it monopolized weather data.
The weather community fought back,pointing out that AccuWeather had no
right to dictate the release of publicdata funded by the American taxpayer.
(02:16):
The private sector owes its veryexistence to this change in policy.
AccuWeather founderswere pissed off about it.
I wrote about this exact topic20 years ago, which I've left
a link in the show description.
Joel and Barry Myers, AccuWeather'sfounders, have been trying to defund
the National Weather Service for years.
AccuWeather's intense lobbying waseven why Republicans couldn't support
(02:36):
Barry Myers's appointment in thefirst Trump Administration to head
NOAA because he wanted to privatizethe National Weather Service.
He wasn't coy about it.
But I don't want to make this soundlike AccuWeather alone is behind
this (02:47):
they're just the biggest player.
There are others with advanced degreesin meteorology peddling similar nonsense.
One of these individuals, Dr. CliffMass, even has a popular podcast, which
you may be subscribed to right now.
I mention Dr. Mass in particular ashe made a comment in a blog post of
his in late February, quoting him
(03:06):
" National Weather Service forecasts produced by local offices are generally
less skillful than the Weather Channel,Apple, and leading private sector firms.
" I pause to give you some time to take that in.
Yes, he really said that.
Not only is it laughably false, but italso fails to mention that the Weather
Service is forced to do this becauseit might take something away from what
they call " private weather firms."
(03:28):
Just look at the storm onset graphicsused by some Weather Service
offices, and you'll see what I mean.
They look like a five year oldsplattered neon paint on a map
and are impossible to read.
But that's not the NationalWeather Service's fault.
It's the lobbyists.
Hobble scientists, and they'regoing to give you hobbled results.
There is ample evidence that understaffedoffices had led to Americans dying
because of a lack of warnings.
(03:49):
But to put Apple forecasts as moreskillful than a National Weather
Service Office is probably one ofthe most ridiculous statements I've
ever heard in a long time... andweather people say some crazy things.
Folks, this isn't to criticize anyonepersonally, however making false
statements as a scientist is doubly bad.
I can only imagine a world where ourGOES satellites are sold off to the
highest bidder... which will obviouslybe AccuWeather... and these folks
(04:12):
have nothing they can do about itother than to hope for a change in
policy in 2026 with a new Congress.
Our radar system is perilouslyclose to the end of its lifespan.
Are we to expect private industryto be so generous in providing
free next generation radar?
Of course not.
This seems to be a coordinated effortby individuals and companies with
long standing animosity towardspublic services, and these sudden cuts
(04:34):
are meant to manufacture a crisis.
Our weather models don't "suck" becausethey're inaccurate: they're as underfunded
as the rest of environmental science.
And folks like the Myers', Dr. Mass,and many others are using distraction
tactics around climate change tocripple the National Weather Service
on purpose for financial gain.
We try to steer clear of politicshere, but we live in a world
(04:54):
where weather data wasn't free.
One company in particular benefited.
This just won't hurt the NationalWeather Service and NOAA, but the
hundreds of private sector weathercompanies that have been able to flourish
as a result of free weather data.
So what can you do?
Get involved.
For more, please visit our websiteat the weather station experts.
com forward slash supporthyphen the hyphen nws.
(05:17):
We have that link in the description.
We cannot go down this path again.
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