NOAA Scientists Oppose Shuttering Miami Research Lab, Citing Public Safety Risks

Proposed NOAA Lab Closure

• ⚠️ A proposal is being considered to shutter all NOAA weather and climate research labs, including the one in Miami.
• 🎯 This closure is part of a proposed federal budget for the 2026 fiscal year.

Impact on Hurricane Forecasting

• 🔬 The Miami lab, the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), is crucial for maintaining the nation's top hurricane models.
• 📉 Scientists warn that closing AOML could lead to a 20-40% decrease in hurricane forecast accuracy.
• ⚡ Data collected by AOML, including Doppler radar data from hurricane cores, has been shown to improve forecast models by up to 30%.

Public Safety Concerns

• 🚨 The closure is viewed as a significant public safety risk by top hurricane researchers.
• 🚢 Losing AOML's capabilities would make it harder to mitigate the impacts of hazardous weather, potentially jeopardizing lives in a storm's path.
• ❓ There are concerns about a lack of backup measures for the vital data and tools that would be lost.

Call for Bipartisan Support

• 🗣️ Researchers are speaking out to raise awareness ahead of an appropriations committee meeting.
• ✅ They believe there is bipartisan support for maintaining and improving weather forecasting, not diminishing it.
• 🌍 The argument is made that weather does not have a political affiliation, underscoring the non-partisan nature of this research.