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First Federal Broadband Point of Presence in the Arctic Paves the Way for New Research
Utqiaġvik, Alaska, the farthest north point in the U.S., is a critical location for international Arctic research. Its history includes many decades of research by academia, all major U.S. science agencies, and international partners, making it a baseline location for Arctic research in the U.S. However, historically, poor network connectivity has limited the science and operations that can be done in Utqiaġvik.
Dive Into NOAA’s Treasure Trove of Data
“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data,” said the great detective Sherlock Holmes in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story entitled “A Scandal in Bohemia.” We at NOAA couldn’t agree more and are highlighting the amazing things we can learn from data throughout the month of September during a celebration known as NOAA DataFest. After all, NOAA data are freely available to all who want to learn about the world and its many mysteries.    
NOAA Sees the Fifth Hurricane Humberto Through High-powered Lens
This season’s Humberto isn’t the first tropical cyclone in the Atlantic Basin to be given the name. In fact, it’s the fifth Hurricane Humberto to emerge in the Atlantic, but this time, NOAA is watching through the sophisticated Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) of GOES-16.  
Photo of Florida after a hurricane
The 2004 Atlantic Hurricane Season: A Look Back from Above
In 2004, the Atlantic Basin had one of its most active and destructive hurricane seasons on record. When the season finally ended, it ultimately produced more than $61 billion in damage and caused thousands of deaths across several countries.  Fifteen years later, we’re reviewing the season and highlighting a few of the monsters — from NOAA’s satellites’ perspective.
Graphical Image of the United States
How Bits and Bytes of Data Become a Forecast
Every day in America, millions of people wake up with the same question on their minds, “What’s the weather today?” The US Department of Commerce found that the majority of Americans check the weather forecast 3.8 times per day, equating to 301 billion forecasts consumed per year! These days, we take accurate forecasts — available multiple days in advance — for granted. 
Race for Northernmost Drifting Antarctic Iceberg Ends in a Tie
On February 4, 1979, an iceberg slightly larger in area than the city of Indianapolis was first spotted in the Wilkesland Sea after breaking off (or “calving”) from Antarctica. Eleven years later, the giant chunk of ice known as C-02 had drifted farther north than any other in recorded history… until now.
50 Years After Hurricane Camille, NOAA Satellites Keep U.S. Weather-Ready
In the late evening hours of August 17, 1969, a catastrophic storm named Hurricane Camille slammed into the Gulf Coast. A Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 175 mph and a storm surge of more than 24 feet, Camille devastated much of coastal Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. More than 250 people lost their lives and damage was estimated at about $10 billion in 2019 dollars. 
image of GOES-17
Mishap board completes investigation into NOAA’s GOES-17 ABI
A blockage in the loop heat pipe of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), the primary instrument on NOAA’s GOES-17 satellite, prevented the instrument from cooling properly and impeded its ability to collect data, according to a special Mishap Investigation Board.
Animated GIF of a fire
Wildfires from Space: How the View from Above Helps Firefighters on the Ground
Every evening from late spring to early fall, two planes lift off from airports in the western United States and fly through the sunset, each headed for an active wildfire, and then another, and another. From 10,000 feet above ground, the pilots can spot the glow of a fire, and occasionally the smoke enters the cabin, burning the eyes and throat.