Stop the Idiocracy: Weathering in the dark

Monday, August 24, 2026

Weathering in the dark

A darkly whimsical editorial illustration depicts American weather forecasting as an institution collapsing into chaos and obsolescence. Inside a vast, decaying meteorological centre, antiquated instruments, dead computer terminals, tangled wiring, cobwebs and scattered papers surround a handful of exhausted women struggling to keep the operation functioning. At centre, a bewildered forecaster studies contradictory information on her phone whilst sheltering beneath an umbrella from rain inexplicably falling indoors. Beyond her, the weather itself has become absurdly unpredictable: snow, lightning, torrential rain, brilliant sunshine, tornadoes and drifting weather balloons coexist in the same impossible sky. Broken clocks, frozen machinery and neglected equipment reinforce the central metaphor — a once-sophisticated forecasting apparatus starved of expertise, maintenance and resources until Americans can no longer reliably know what tomorrow's weather will bring.

image generated via ChatGPT

Weather forecasting in the former United States is set back decades by the Trump regime. {The Independent 24 August}

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/doge-noaa-weather-usa-b3035937.html

Rapidly descending to the status of a Third World s**thole —

FTA: Experts told Forbes that there are simply fewer weather monitoring instruments being used today than before agencies like the NOAA suffered cuts under the Trump administration

According to the report there are fewer buoys measuring wave conditions than in 2024, and fewer weather balloons being launched to collect data on air pressure, temperature, humidity, and windspeed.

That data feeds weather models, which is then used to build forecasts by weather apps and local forecasters.

One program, enacted 20 years ago to measure arctic ice, was recently cut by the Trump administration. Plans for a next-generation weather satellite meant to replace two older, faltering structures that may begin to fail in the next several years have been scrapped.

Overall, the Trump administration has cut between $1.6 and $1.7 billion in funding from the NOAA’s budget, and more than 800 NOAA workers since February.

The impacts on the nation's ability to reliably produce forecasts isn't just an annoyance for TikTokers. Fishers, farmers, pilots, shipping companies, insurers, utility operators — virtually everyone who has to operate in the physical world to do their jobs relies on accurate weather data.

linktr.ee/arthurnewhook

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