07-26-2025, 11:50 PM
(07-26-2025, 08:49 PM)ironyak Wrote: From Obie's link - "Due to recent service changes, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC) will discontinue ingesting, processing and distribution of all DMSP data to NOAA no later than July 31, 2025 ... WSF-M has reached initial operational capability (IOC) and initial data is being delivered to DoD users. The DoD is working towards full operational capability (FOC) which includes the technical work to send the data to NOAA as soon as possible."
So DMSP is going away on July 31st but the replacement WSF-M is being sent to NOAA as soon as possible? Will it be soon enough? When does Hawaii's hurricane season start?
"While the Department of Defense did successfully launched another weather satellite known as the Weather System Follow-on Microwave (WSF-M) in April 2024, that data isn’t currently available to forecasters and it’s not clear if or when data access will be permitted."
https://michaelrlowry.substack.com/p/cri...ecast-tool
“The extension of this crucial data through July by direct NASA order speaks to how blindsided government forecasters were by the DoD’s sudden decision to terminate the data,” said Michael Lowry, a hurricane expert who has worked at the National Hurricane Center and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/clima...fline.html