Trump's NOAA cuts leave US exposed to 'cascade' of El Niño dangers, experts warn
Former officials and scientists say gutted staffing and shuttered labs leave the US unprepared for a potentially historic El Niño winter.
What to know
- NOAA has lost roughly 20% of its staff since January 2025, with hundreds of vacancies across its 122 National Weather Service forecast offices.
- A potentially historic El Niño is expected to strengthen through autumn and winter, threatening coast-to-coast extreme weather including storms, sea-level rise of up to a foot in California, debris flows and flash floods.
- Experts say the gutted forecasting and research system has not yet been tested by a major disaster, raising concerns about public safety, global data-sharing and loss of life.
“Whether we as a country can handle the kind of coast-to-coast extremes that could potentially happen this winter is a big question”
Tom Di Liberto, Former NOAA climate scientist, Climate Central media director · The Guardian ↗ · Oct 26
Donald Trump US PresidentTom Di Liberto Former NOAA climate scientist, now media director at Climate CentralMonica Medina Former NOAA principal deputy administrator (Obama administration)NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Federal climate and weather agency
How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts
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Social media users blame 'populist vandalism' for the cuts
Commenters sharing the Guardian report on Mastodon framed the firings and canceled data-sharing grants as an ideological attack on public-safety infrastructure ahead of forecast storms.
“With Trump firing thousands of NOAA meteorologists and cancelling global data-sharing grants right as historic storms approach, anti-science ideology is risking real lives.”
— Fife4Europe@mastodon.scot -
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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 hazardsfueled by a potentially historic El Niño this winter. From the start of his second…
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With Trump firing thousands of NOAA meteorologists and cancelling global data-sharing grants right as historic storms approach, anti-science ideology is risking real lives. When will democracies protect public safety infrastructure from populist vandalism? # ClimateCrisis https://www. theguardian.com/environment/20 26/oct/27/trump-cuts-el-nino-noaa
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Former NOAA deputy administrator warns of loss of life
Monica Medina, who served as principal deputy administrator of NOAA under Obama, says she fears the gutted agency leaves the country unprotected just as extreme weather risk peaks.
“I worry about loss of life and about our inability to be protected at a time when we need our government the most…”
— Monica Medina -
background
Guardian details 'cascade' of El Niño risk from NOAA cuts — A Guardian investigation reports that former NOAA officials and scientists warn the agency's degraded forecasting and research capacity has never been tested against a major disaster, as a potentially historic El Niño strengthens through autumn and winter.
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background
Trump administration begins cutting NOAA staff and programs — From the start of his second term, Trump targeted NOAA with staff cuts, canceled contracts and grants, and shuttered databases and research laboratories, leaving the agency down roughly 20% of its staff.
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first by The Guardian, 12d ago · also Guardian, Guardian Environment