Just as the 2025 hurricane season begins, federal scientists have lost access to one of their most valuable forecasting tools—Saildrones. These small, uncrewed ocean vessels captured real-time data from inside hurricanes, helping improve predictions and even providing gripping videos that warned people how serious storms were.
For the past four years, Saildrones were deployed by NOAA to collect critical data like surface wind speeds and water temperatures, which help forecast a storm’s strength and path. But this year, they’re out of the picture.
Why? NOAA failed to send out the contract request in time. The California-based company behind Saildrone couldn’t bid or prep their fleet to launch from Gulf and Atlantic ports. Now, with a potentially intense season ahead, that missing data could make it harder to accurately track and understand hurricanes.
The blow comes as NOAA is already grappling with staffing cuts and funding threats under the Trump administration’s budget plan, which targets key research programs—including hurricane science.
Without Saildrones, NOAA will rely more heavily on aerial tools like weather balloons and new lightweight drones launched from hurricane hunter planes. While promising, these replacements don’t cover the ocean’s surface like Saildrones do and can’t capture those stunning, viral videos from inside storms.
Experts warn the gap in ocean-based data could affect the accuracy of forecasts and delay life-saving advisories. Researchers are pushing for future tech that combines both air and sea data for a 3D look at hurricanes, but that vision won’t be realized this year.
So as storm season kicks into high gear, forecasters are doing the best they can with what’s left—hoping to avoid a major miss while flying without one of their sharpest tools.
