Hurricane Forecasting at Risk After US Defence Decision, Antiguan Forecaster Expresses Concern

The Caribbean faces heightened hurricane season uncertainty after the U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday it would immediately halt the processing of crucial weather satellite data used in most tropical storm forecasts.

Meteorologist Dale Destin of 268 expressed concerns about the decision’s impact on regional storm tracking and preparation efforts.

” Although this is a U.S. defense decision, its ripple effects are global, most starkly for the Caribbean,” Destin said in response to the announcement.

The move, formalized Wednesday through a NOAA service change notice, will cut off real-time microwave data from three weather satellites jointly operated by NOAA and the Department of Defense. The data cessation takes effect Monday, June 30th, affecting critical services including the National Hurricane Center.

Destin highlighted the particular vulnerability this creates for Caribbean nations, explaining the technology’s crucial role in storm monitoring: “Microwave sensors ‘see’ through clouds to measure storm core structure. Caribbean Met services rely on this data to detect rapid intensification—something models struggle with, especially before landfall.”

The timing of the shutdown, occurring during peak hurricane season, raises significant concerns for the region’s meteorological capabilities. “With fewer satellite inputs, tropical cyclone forecasts may become broader, less precise, and more off-track. Our small islands and low-lying coasts depend on pinpoint accuracy to inform evacuations and preparations,” Destin warned.

The decision threatens established regional coordination systems that Caribbean meteorologists have developed with U.S. weather services. “Caribbean meteorologists coordinate closely with the U.S. National Hurricane Center and NOAA. Gaps in upstream data mean riskier, delayed, or blind-spot warnings for communities across the Caribbean, including Antigua and Barbuda,” Destin noted.