Hurricane forecasters are losing access to critical data from three Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellites ahead of the peak storm season. These satellites are equipped with Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) instruments, which are vital for "looking inside" clouds to determine a storm's exact location, structure, and intensity, much like an MRI scans the human body.
Why the Loss Matters:
Enhanced Forecasting: The data from these satellites significantly improves hurricane track forecasts and helps identify signs of rapid intensification, which is crucial for issuing timely and accurate watches, warnings, and evacuation orders.
Reduced Accuracy: Without this specific microwave data, meteorologists may face delays in forecasting and could be caught off guard by unexpected overnight storm intensification, leading to what is termed "sunrise surprises."
Limitations of Alternatives: While other satellites like NOAA-20, NOAA-21, and Suomi NPP possess similar Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) instruments, they provide lower-resolution data. This makes it challenging to precisely pinpoint a storm's center or accurately estimate its intensity, compared to the DMSP satellites' capabilities.
Reasons for the Data Loss:
Aging Satellites: The DMSP satellites, launched between 1999 and 2009, have long exceeded their planned five-year operational lifespan. The U.S. Space Force determined they would reach the end of their service between 2023 and 2026.
Cybersecurity Concerns: NOAA's Office of Satellite and Product Operations cited the need to mitigate a "significant cybersecurity risk" as a reason for terminating the data flow.
Replacement Challenges: Satellite programs are costly and involve multi-year or even decade-long planning, leading to past delays and cancellations of successor programs. Although a new Department of Defense satellite, ML-1A, launched in April 2025 with similar capabilities, it is currently unclear whether its data will be accessible to forecasters.
The loss of this data is particularly concerning as the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be above average, with its most active period occurring after the DMSP satellite data is set to be discontinued.