ForecastWatch April Wrap-up and News

April Wrap-Up

U.S. Weather Forecasts Could Soon Worsen

Over the last several weeks, NOAA’s National Weather Service (NWS) has had hundreds of employees terminated. Since then, at least 14 NWS offices around the U.S. have announced that their twice-daily weather balloon launches are either suspended or reduced in number due to the reduction in workforce.

“Taking weather balloons offline in the heartland of the United States…will directly affect the NWS’s ability to predict severe weather, including tornado-producing thunderstorms. This could lead to more severe weather-related deaths that could have otherwise been avoided” wrote Marc Alessi of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Ball State’s Meteorology Program Shapes the Future of Weather Science

Ball State University’s meteorology program equips students with hands-on experience, innovative tools, and community-focused projects, preparing them to shape the future of weather science.

Operating out of the Department of Geography and Meteorology, the Cardinal Weather Service is a group of meteorology and climatology students who provide tailored forecasts to clients and residents of east-central Indiana. The Cardinal Weather Service began as an immersive learning project in 2016, but now allows students to earn one to three class credits. This experience offers students real-world applications, allowing them to serve the community rather than submitting a sample forecast for a professor to grade.

Subscribe to the ClimateWatch newsletter!

Last year, our parent company Intellovations LLC launched a newsletter called ClimateWatch!

The goal is to bring you the week's most pressing climate issues, impacts, trends and forecasts, groundbreaking innovations, and actionable tips in our weekly newsletter dedicated to keeping you up-to-date on climate information. In the future, the plan is to include in-depth analyses from our experts in the newsletter. 

Check out the newsletters from April:

• 🏜️ Global Soil Moisture Sees Steady Decrease and Changes Earth's Spin

• 🌴 Hawaii is Sinking 40 Times Faster Than Predicted

• 🌊 La Niña is Over

• 🐄 Combating Climate Change with a Cow Fart Vaccine

• 🌏 Earth on Trajectory to Trigger Climate Tipping Points

AI Model Predicts Lightning-Induced Wildfires

Israeli researchers developed a new artificial intelligence model that promises to revolutionize lightning-induced wildfire prediction, which has grown increasingly common due to climate change.

The model has already been proven to predict where and when lightning strikes are most likely to cause wildfires, with an unprecedented accuracy of more than 90%.

2025 Hurricane Season Predictions

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season officially begins on June 1. On average, the Atlantic basin sees 14.4 named storms, 7.2 hurricanes, and 3.2 major hurricanes. The first named system in the Atlantic typically forms around June 20, with meteorologists estimating the first hurricane by August 11. The peak of hurricane season typically occurs around September 10.

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season was above-normal with the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes. It was also one of the deadliest and costliest seasons. What does 2025 have in store? A few experts have released early forecasts for the season.

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