Storm clouds over NOAA

An atmospheric balloon is inflated at the station near Lauder, Central Otago, New Zealand. (Bottom) Snow piled up near a building in Twin Peaks, California. — Tatsiana Chypsanava and Philip Cheung/©2025 The New York Times Company

FOR years, meteorologists in Kotzebue, Alaska, launched weather balloons twice daily to collect data on wind speed, humidity and temperature, feeding critical information into weather forecasts and models.

This routine, mirrored at numerous weather stations nationwide, was abruptly halted late last month when the National Weather Service (NWS) announced an “indefinite suspension” of these launches due to staffing shortages.