Top Ten Reasons We Need NOAA + Weather Prediction
On July 17, 2025, it was made public that the Trump administration was pausing work on a NOAA database tool—Atlas 15 Volume 2—that would more accurately predict extreme rain and flooding events. The tool was slated to be finished for the lower 48 U.S. states in 2026 and all other states and territories in 2027. After discussions with NOAA, the Trump administration walked back this pause, allowing NOAA to proceed with its analysis through fiscal year 2026.
This move comes at a time when the U.S. is facing a surge in devastating flash floods caused by more moisture-laden storms fueled by rising global temperatures.
With rampant funding cuts for vital government services and increasing frequency of extreme rainfall events, threatening this program was short-sighted. The summer of 2025 has been beset by quick, heavy rainfall, which translates to worse and more intense flooding. Keeping our weather services and research well-funded can prevent harm and save lives by predicting and announcing extreme weather events like flash floods, but with limited funding and staff, all Americans are at higher risk.
Here are 10 reasons why we need Atlas 15, NOAA, NWS and a strong weather prediction system to keep Americans safe, in no particular order.
- Forecasting Future Extremes
Atlas 2 was built to model how 100‑year storm events are shifting—data crucial for long-term infrastructure resilience. (What are 100-year floods?) This tool will track and predict future extreme weather events like floods resulting from significant rainfall events and changing weather patterns, where tools used now only use past weather events to inform predictions. Atlas 15 will use forward-looking projections, allowing for earlier warning, better preparedness, and safer communities.
- Saving Lives in Real Time
NOAA and NWS forecasts help pinpoint imminent threats, enabling early warnings. For example, ahead of Hurricane Ida’s 2021 landfall, NOAA’s early warning systems accurately forecasted the storm’s intensity, storm surge and inland flooding days in advance. These warnings enabled large-scale evacuations in Louisiana and preparation across the Northeast, ultimately saving lives despite the storm’s widespread devastation. NOAA tools are vital for warning communities.
In early April 2025, Indiana saw hard hitting rains and flood events, but preparations were made due to advance warning of inclement weather, likely preventing harm to many Hoosiers. Without modeling data and monitoring, we risk being caught unprepared by these events.
- Protecting Public Infrastructure
Engineers nationwide depend on NOAA’s precipitation frequency data (Atlas 15 Volume 1 and future Volume 2) to design storm-resistant infrastructure. As early warning systems in the short-term help protect against flash floods, long-term modeling can help communities plan for future weather events to mitigate harm to infrastructure and bounce back from storms more quickly. This means power, clean water, roads, rescue operations, and more vital services that can come back online more quickly (or that may not go offline at all) than without preventative measures.
- Reducing Recovery Costs
Prevention beats repair. Using future-focused NOAA data to build smarter saves taxpayers billions in disaster recovery. By investing in storm-resistant infrastructure and planning, we create communities that are more resilient and less prone to significant storm damage. Less damage means fewer repairs and lower costs to rebuild after a storm.
- Adapting to a Changing Water Cycle
The global water cycle is changing causing heavier rainfall and prolonged droughts. NOAA helps communities prepare for these shifts, and long-term planning tools like Atlas 15 can help build longer-lasting and more efficient preparations.
- Economic Foundations
Weather data supports industries like insurance, logistics, and agriculture. Cuts to NOAA jeopardize these sectors as it would become less clear where infrastructure investments are needed most, where flood insurance is needed, and when and where to irrigate crops. NOAA offers more than just precipitation modeling, and improvements to predictive models result in savings across industries.
- Informing Farmers’ Crop Practices
Farmers use weather forecasting to plan their crop practices. Extreme rainfall events are critical to know early, and so are droughts. Without proper planning, our crops are unable to thrive and our food systems suffer for it. While it is not the only tool in a farmer’s toolbox, weather information from NOAA helps our food growers plan for the future.
- Ensuring National Security
NOAA satellites and forecasting systems contribute to preparedness—critical as disasters double as national security risks. NOAA works closely with the U.S. Navy and Air Force to predict and prevent damage to critical military infrastructure and tools, support weather services globally, and maintain weather-dependent industries like ocean fisheries.
- Maintaining Global Scientific Leadership
NOAA’s datasets (e.g., Atlas 15, billion-dollar disaster tracker) are foundational to global research and policy. Their erosion undermines the United States’ position as an important contributor to global weather forecasting, disaster preparedness, and research. Investments in the agency contribute to our important role as a collaborative global power.
- Informing Public Policy
Reliable, science-driven data enables local, state and federal policymakers to enact effective building codes, resource management, emergency planning and climate adaptation. All of the above points contribute to building and maintaining robust policy to ensure safe, secure lives for all Hoosiers and Americans. Whether it means your home stays standing in a flood, your food will reliably get to your table, or our national security is protected, NOAA, the NWS, and all of their tools contribute to building the systems that drive those results.
