The funding lapse has caused weather analysis tools used by businesses and government organizations across the United States to go dark.
This includes the websites for four National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) regional centers, which serve 27 states in the central and southern parts of the US, such as Texas, Florida, Ohio, the Dakotas, and the Carolinas. These websites are no longer accessible, as seen in the notifications posted on their home pages.
The regional climate centers, which were established in the early 1980s, are based at research universities and operate under a contract with NOAA. NOAA provides raw data, which regional scientists then use to create custom tools.
These tools range from real-time drought monitors to hurricane trackers, all of which are available for the public to use at no cost.
Although the climate hubs in the western and northeastern parts of the country will still provide public access until mid-June, the situation is more uncertain for the southern region.
John Neilsen-Gammon, the director of the Southern Regional Climate Center, mentioned in an interview that the contracts necessary to continue these services are pending approval from NOAA and the Department of Commerce.
The federal agency remains committed to its mission, including delivering timely information to the public. However, public affairs officer John Bateman declined to comment on internal personnel and management matters.
Texas, where the Southern Regional Climate Center is located, has been a focal point for extreme weather in the US for decades. In recent years, the state has experienced a series of devastating weather events, including hurricanes, a deadly freeze that took more than 200 lives in 2021, and the largest wildfire in Texas history in early 2024.
From 1980 to 2025, Texas recorded 190 weather disasters that each cost over $1 billion, according to the US National Centers for Environmental Information.
Scientists at the Southern Regional Climate Center have been closely monitoring the impact of droughts on Texas’s water supply and providing county-level analyses to help ranchers apply for federal relief programs.
Neilsen-Gammon expressed concerns about the future of the program, stating that they are seeking alternative funding but that options are limited. He emphasized that such services make sense to be federally funded because they improve access to vital climate data for everyone.