10 Essential Ways the National Weather Service and NOAA Protect Our Families

The National Weather Service (NWS) and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), play a vital role in keeping communities safe from severe weather and other environmental threats.

Tell Congress: Protect Our Ability to Prepare for and Recover From Severe Weather Threats

Here are 10 ways they support families and children every day—some we may even not be aware of, but all critical. There is so much at stake as these necessary agencies are undermined by drastic funding and staffing cuts.

1. Severe weather alerts: NWS constantly tracks potential weather threats, issuing warnings for severe weather events like tornados, hurricanes, and flooding. These warnings are distributed around the country to local weather services for free. They help families, schools, and communities take critical action to protect people. Most of us likely take this essential service for granted, but it protects us all every day.
2. Air quality alerts: NOAA monitors important air pollutants like ozone and particle pollution. They partner with EPA to issue air quality alerts, especially during times of high pollution or wildfire smoke. These indispensable alerts help protect families and sensitive populations, including babies, children, people with respiratory conditions, and older adults.
3. Heat alerts and heat safety: During hot weather, NWS issues heat advisories and excessive heat warnings, which can help families and schools take action to protect babies and children from dangerous heat. They also educate the public about the health impacts of extreme heat.
4. Winter weather safety: Winter storms can be dangerous, causing hazardous road conditions and extreme cold. NWS issues winter storm warnings that help families and communities make important decisions—like calling snow days when it’s not safe for school buses to be on the road.
5. Flood warnings and evacuation alerts: Families and schools of course need to know when and where floods are going to happen. NWS provides flood warnings and advises on evacuation routes and sheltering in place. This information helps communities make necessary choices that keep children safe.
6. Pollen and allergy forecasts: For families with children who struggle with seasonal allergies, pollen and allergy forecasts provide critical information. NOAA recently developed the first federal pollen forecast to help people with pollen allergies and respiratory conditions stay safe.
7. Fire weather forecasts: Communities need to know when they’re at risk for fires. NOAA monitors fire weather conditions and issues critical alerts when conditions are favorable for wildfires. Towns and municipalities may issue burn bans as a result, keeping everyone safe from harm.
8. Fog advisories: Dense fog reduces visibility on the road, which can be dangerous for drivers—including parents and bus drivers taking kids to and from school. NWS issues fog advisories that make families and communities aware of when they need to take precautions.
9. Public education campaigns: In addition to providing lifesaving alerts, NOAA and NWS educate the public about severe weather hazards like snowstorms, floods, and heatwaves—and how to stay safe. These public health campaigns are how many of us know, for example, that playground equipment can cause burns if too hot.
10. Climate change impacts: NOAA tracks climate and weather threats around the world, helping to inform the public about how global warming is impacting our planet. The critical information provided by NOAA is essential for policymakers and researchers working to help communities adapt to increasingly extreme weather and for efforts to prevent future warming—something that will affect families’ daily lives for generations to come.

While we’re still getting NWS and NOAA alerts, forecasts, advisories, and campaigns, the quality of these reports could be threatened as resources are diminished. And who knows, as with so many other agencies with similarly slashed funding, what the future holds.

Tell Congress: Protect Our Ability to Prepare for and Recover From Severe Weather Threats