Budget cuts threaten Great Lakes weather forecasting

  • The National Weather Service used lake-effect data to forecast the duration and severity of the 2022 Christmas blizzard in Northwest Michigan. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE/GAYLORD
    The National Weather Service used lake-effect data to forecast the duration and severity of the 2022 Christmas blizzard in Northwest Michigan. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE/GAYLORD

    LANSING

    Proposed federal budget cuts could cripple the ability of Michigan forecasters to monitor extreme weather and climate shifts, researchers warn.

    A draft plan from the White House would dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and shut down the Great Lakes Observing System.

    That system powers hundreds of buoys and models that mon…