A plan that would have stopped the flow of essential forecast data from a trio of aging military satellites during the middle of hurricane season has been nixed after widespread pushback. Statements from the U.S. Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed on July 29 that data flow from microwave sounders on the trio of Department of Defense Satellites would continue until sometime next year as originally planned, backtracking from earlier announcements in May and June. The sounders track rain and winds over the oceans and ice. … Losing half the microwave data available to forecasters decreases the ability to identify the most dangerous storms, the ones that intensify quickly and catch forecasters and the public off guard.

Other NOAA and weather forecasting news:

• ABC News: Defense Department will continue providing critical weather satellite data to NOAA
• E&E News by Politico: Pentagon will keep sharing hurricane forecasting data
• CBS News: NOAA will continue receiving weather data from Navy satellites after sudden reversal
• SpaceNews: Senate Commerce Committee advances Jacobs nomination for NOAA administrator