You might not have the best regard for meteorologists when they get it wrong, but they provide information every day that saves lives and assist individuals and businesses in planning around Mother Nature.
Much of the weather forecasting done in the United States is by the federal government, specifically the National Weather Service. It is responsible for providing weather data and forecasts for the 50 states, U.S. territories and many oceanic areas. The data and forecasts generated are made available to anyone, and are used by people and businesses from airlines, farmers and shipping companies to your favorite TV weather forecaster.
For that incredible amount of responsibility, the weather service receives around $900 million per year in funding from the federal government. That's about 3 cents for every person living in the U.S. Even so, the weather service was a target of the sequestration cuts earlier this year. You might believe differently, but I believe 3 cents is a very decent price to pay for weather warnings that could save my life. In fact, I would even be willing to contribute a dime, or maybe even a quarter or more for accurate weather data.
More money would allow the weather service to hire more experts, deploy more radar sites and make forecasts more accurate and warnings earlier. Who doesn't want that?
Instead of targeting an agency already on a shoestring budget, Congress should increase funding for the National Weather Service. There are some things that government actually does well, and weather forecasting is one of them. And it could do better, but only if Congress acts.
Pete Kreppein is a student at the University at Albany and a former Times Union intern. His email address is pmkreppein@gmail.com.