Federal Forecasters Lose Key Tool as Hurricane Season Starts

As the Atlantic hurricane season kicks into high gear, federal meteorologists face a significant setback as they bid farewell to one of their most crucial assets—Saildrones. These innovative, uncrewed vessels venture into the core of tropical storms to gather real-time data that is essential for scientists to accurately forecast the storms’ intensity and trajectories. This season’s loss highlights the challenges of weather prediction in the face of severe weather events.

Over the past four years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has effectively utilized Saildrones to enhance the precision of its hurricane forecasts and warnings. These small drone vessels have been particularly instrumental in identifying rapid storm intensification, a factor that significantly amplifies the potential devastation caused by hurricanes. Unfortunately, this year, the California-based company responsible for Saildrones, Saildrone, was reportedly “unable to bid” on a NOAA contract, as confirmed by agency spokesperson Keeley Belva in a communication with Gizmodo.

Belva did not provide specific reasons for Saildrone’s inability to bid. However, a NOAA employee, who preferred to remain anonymous, revealed to CNN that the agency’s request for contract proposals was issued too late. This timing issue hampered Saildrone’s opportunity to prepare and deploy its fleet to various launching points across the Atlantic and Gulf Coast ahead of the hurricane season, which has raised significant concerns about data collection capabilities.

“NOAA continues to explore alternative uncrewed systems to fulfill the agency’s data requirements in challenging-to-access areas of tropical cyclones for the 2025 season,” Belva stated in her correspondence with Gizmodo. “The agency is also gearing up for potential collaborations with industry partners to introduce uncrewed surface vehicle deployments for the upcoming 2026 season.”

This news adds to the increasing worries regarding NOAA’s preparedness as the hurricane season officially commenced on June 1. Following the tenure of President Donald Trump, NOAA has encountered substantial staff reductions, grant freezes, and limitations on travel and training, as reported by the Associated Press. Notably, the agency’s National Weather Service (NWS) office has experienced a staffing decline of over 10% since January, as highlighted by CBS News. The proposed 2026 budget from the Trump administration threatens to slash NOAA’s funding by an alarming $1.6 billion.

Despite these challenges and forecasts indicating heightened activity during the Atlantic hurricane season, NOAA representatives assert that they are prepared. However, the absence of Saildrones represents another detrimental hit to the agency’s forecasting capabilities, which is crucial for public safety during severe weather events.

According to NOAA, these remotely controlled vessels are outfitted with an array of instruments that enable them to capture numerous environmental measurements simultaneously. They collect vital data on wind speed, wave height, temperature, pressure, salinity, and, perhaps most critically, the transfer of heat and moisture between the ocean and the atmosphere directly above it. This dynamic interaction is pivotal in understanding storm intensification; by measuring these variables, scientists can gain insight into how a hurricane may evolve over time.

Furthermore, Saildrones are capable of transmitting data to forecasters in real time, allowing them to refine their forecasting models and public advisories. NOAA had intended to enhance the accuracy of its predictions this year by integrating Saildrones observations directly into its forecasting models, as noted by NOAA oceanographer Gregory Foltz in his conversation with CNN.

In addition, these vessels capture remarkable footage from within hurricanes, delivering intense live videos that vividly showcase the ferocity of these storms. Such compelling visuals can significantly influence evacuation decisions by illustrating the severity of storm conditions, as pointed out by Foltz.

In the absence of Saildrones, NOAA will have to rely more heavily on its aerial storm-tracking technologies. These include weather balloons and innovative lightweight drones launched from the agency’s two WP-3 hurricane hunter aircraft. The drones, particularly the Black Swift SØ, are engineered for rapid atmospheric profiling, gathering critical data on air temperature, wind speed, direction, dewpoint, and atmospheric pressure. Additionally, NOAA plans to deploy StreamSonades, small biodegradable probes that can be released from a hurricane hunter aircraft to collect atmospheric measurements as they descend through the storm.

While these aerial tools are valuable, they cannot replicate the unique advantages of Saildrones, particularly in providing live storm footage or consistently measuring wind and sea surface temperatures over extended periods. As a downsized NOAA approaches the hurricane season, the decision to sideline Saildrones will further strain its already limited resources, raising concerns about the accuracy and reliability of future forecasts.