Summer 2026 Banter Thread

[sbnwx85]

Hmmm...

Meteorologist Ahmad Bajjey 

ordeonsSptl35ca7fc4lh6f7106413028f4t6g5u9a984m79fai3faif4l2m ·

This is going to be a bit of a read, but I want to draw your attention to something I've covered before.

A little over a year ago, sweeping cuts to NOAA caused a large number of NWS locations to trim weather balloon launches either to 1 per day instead of the normal 2, or to remove launches completely. Upper-air data, the information collected by these, is the primary and overwhelming input factor into computer models. These go to everything from our forecasts, to NWS, to your app, to AI, etc. Model data fuels it all. Now, models are only as good as the data it ingests, and the more often or better the data, the more likely we can target a more accurate forecast.

Notice I said more accurate, not perfect. We're not, but we do pretty darn well.

Moving on.

We started seeing data in models showing issues from a lack of input months ago, but I don't believe I've seen a NOAA office actually say it out loud until now. The Storm Prediction Center, the ones who are the best of the best when it comes to severe and destructive weather, creates all the daily severe weather outlooks, specifically stating they could not confirm an important part of the forecast because there was no measurement. No balloons over the Rockies or the plains this morning. Balloons launch at 0Z and 12Z each day, or they used to, and that lack of information not only affects the models but also the ability to create accurate forecasts. Kansas saw this exact issue to devastating effect this spring. We saw this issue when the northern MI ice storm showed horrible amounts of ice, and the amount was still more than any worst-case scenario model showed, as we lacked good input data from no launches in Green Bay and a single launch from Gaylord.

Now, today, they all launched special 18Z balloons. Those happen on expected severe weather days. But these don't help morning or midday models, forecasts, or even aid in updating, as that is the usual window where storms may begin. Think of it like looking at a forecast, wherever that may be, and it saying to expect bad weather while it's already begun to hit.

I say all of this because these are the facts. They're not pleasant, but the numbers don't lie; there is a measurable decline in model input and accuracy output. This affects every single forecaster, streamer, and app in the country. We all use the same info. And now a large agency has mentioned it directly. That's rather large weather news.