The Brief

You're about to walk your dog, but the sky looks ominous. You pull out your phone, open your favorite weather app, and see that it's about to pour. You wait for the rain to pass.

Or maybe you planned a summer vacation at the beach. A week before you're supposed to leave, you hear a weather alert on the radio in your car. There's a hurricane headed toward the coast. You have plenty of time to make new plans — and spend your vacation out of harm's way.

Millions of Americans rely on weather forecasts every day. And accurate weather forecasts have never been easier to access. Hourly outlooks and severe weather warnings are available on smartphone apps and weather websites, TV and radio broadcasts and in newspapers.

But how are these forecasts made? Where does the underlying information come from?

We break it down, and explain how some of that weather information might be interrupted this year.

Weather forecast Step 1: Make lots of measurements

Basic measurements about the weather are the fuel for accurate forecasts. That includes information about how fast and in what direction the wind is blowing, where it is raining or snowing and how much precipitation is falling, what the barometric pressure is and whether there are clouds.

And accurate weather forecasts require data from all over the world, says Alex Lamers, Forecast Operations Branch chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Weather Prediction Center. "Weather happens in the atmosphere, and the atmosphere is connected globally. It doesn't happen in isolation over one specific location," he explains.

One of the most powerful ways to collect global data about the weather is through satellites and Doppler radar towers.

A satellite image of an atmospheric river moving in on Northern California and the Pacific Northwest in November 2024. Satellites operated by NOAA and NASA provide crucial, round-the-clock weather data for the United States.

(

AP

/

NOAA

)

Satellites offer big-picture information. For example, weather satellites can track hurricanes as they move across the ocean, and wildfire smoke as it spreads across large swaths of land. Weather satellites also measure lightning activity, cloud cover, the temperature of the ocean surface and humidity in the atmosphere.

The U.S. government, through NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), operates multiple weather satellites and makes all the data they collect available to the public for free. Private weather forecasting companies, like the ones that operate weather websites and smartphone weather apps, use that data to inform their weather forecasts.

"Whatever weather app you might have on your phone, the view of clouds and precipitation from Doppler radar, that's probably NOAA data," Lamers says.

A NOAA weather satellite known as GOES-17 is prepared for launch in 2018. The satellite continuously measures weather conditions for an area that includes the West Coast of the United States.

(

NOAA

)

The National Weather Service also operates more than 150 Doppler radar towers across the country and shares the data with the public for free. Like satellites, Doppler radar collects big-picture information about rain, snow, sleet and hail, wind speed and direction and the clouds associated with thunderstorms. It can also detect debris in the air from tornadoes, which is very helpful for tracking where a tornado is and where it's going.

Having continuous information from radar and satellites is crucial during storms, including severe thunderstorms, tornado outbreaks and atmospheric rivers, Lamers explains. "That's really important for us to monitor storms as they develop," he says, "[to] be able to monitor the current state of the storm, where the most intense parts are, and be able to monitor that around the clock."

In an open letter in May, all five living former weather service directors expressed concern that those radar installations could be impacted by the Trump administration's federal hiring freeze and budget cuts, because radar instruments require maintenance by highly skilled technicians and there are many vacant positions.

The proposed White House budget would slash funding for NOAA by about a third and virtually eliminate weather research, ocean observations and work on new satellites.

A truck-mounted radar instrument called the Doppler On Wheels near Amanda Park, Wash. Scientists at NASA and the University of Washington used the radar instrument to validate satellite measurements of rain and snow. Permanent Doppler radar installations across the country, operated by NOAA, provide crucial real-time measurements about precipitation, tornado debris and hail.

(

Ted S. Warren

/

AP

)

Many of those measurements happen at automated weather stations. NOAA runs about 900 weather stations all over the country. You might have seen one at an airport or next to a government building. One of the most obvious instruments is a rotating wheel with little cups on the end that measures wind speed.

Ocean information is also important because a lot of dangerous weather systems, including hurricanes and atmospheric rivers, form over the ocean before they affect the U.S.

But operating weather-monitoring instruments in the ocean takes a lot of work, because the conditions on the open sea are so harsh. The federal government maintains about 200 ocean buoys, as well as gliders and other instruments that can measure what's happening below the surface of the ocean. Research ships, military vessels and some cargo ships also contribute weather data for the public.

"Obviously we cannot cover the entire globe, the entire surface of the Earth, with all these instruments, so we have to be smart," says Vijay Tallapragada, a weather modeling expert for NOAA's Environmental Modeling Center. For example, weather sensors are strategically located in parts of the ocean where severe weather is more likely to form.

A NOAA ocean buoy is deployed in the Pacific Ocean in 2022. Ocean buoys measure wind, water temperature and other conditions on the open ocean. Because many weather systems form over the water, such data is important for accurate weather forecasts for the U.S.

(

NOAA

/

NOAA

)

The last, and arguably most crucial, piece of the puzzle is information about the atmosphere. Every day, employees at the National Weather Service launch weather balloons with sensors attached to them. Until recently, that was happening at least twice a day at 90 locations across the country, and more often in places that were expecting severe weather such as tornadoes.

But multiple National Weather Service offices have cut back on balloon launches this spring because of staffing shortages. The Trump administration has moved to lay off hundreds of weather workers and left hundreds of other critical forecasting positions vacant after workers retired.

The weather service addressed such disruptions in a written statement. "The National Weather Service is adjusting some services due to temporary staffing changes at our local forecast offices throughout the country in order to best meet the needs of the public, our partners and stakeholders in each office's local area," the statement says. "These adjustments are also temporary and we will continue to fulfill our core mission of providing life-saving forecasts, warnings, and decision support services."

Tallapragada says balloon data, and other aerial measurements from planes, are the single most impactful source of data for weather forecasting computer models. In addition to providing real-time information about what's happening in the atmosphere, forecasters rely on balloon measurements to calibrate satellite data. So, without balloon measurements, satellite measurements are less useful.

"We definitely know that aircraft measurements and balloon data have the largest impact on the forecasts," Tallapragada explains.

A National Weather Service weather balloon launches in Bismarck, N.D., in June 2017. Weather balloons go up more than 5 miles into the atmosphere and transmit measurements back to the ground continuously as they fly.

(

NOAA

/

NOAA

)

Weather forecast Step 2: Put all the data into a weather supercomputer

A weather forecast is basically the solution to a really complicated math problem. Supercomputers can solve that problem. They take all the information about what's going on in the atmosphere and oceans and use it to predict and track weather that will happen in the coming weeks.

The supercomputers doing this task for the U.S. are run by NOAA.

Those computers run multiple weather models, tailored to different types of weather. For example, hurricane models to predict when and where hurricanes will hit land, and how damaging they will be when they arrive.

Developing and running the computer models is quite labor-intensive, Tallapragada explains. "Each of these models require continuous improvement and maintenance," he says.

The incoming weather information changes all the time. Instruments on buoys and planes are replaced or recalibrated. Old satellites are decommissioned and new ones are launched. Private companies and weather services for other nations agree to share data, or change which data they're providing. Every little change must be accounted for in the computer models.

"So we need people to process, understand, calibrate and characterize those datasets so they can be assembled and used in a meaningful way," Tallapragada says.

Robert Fraser surveys damage to a warehouse after a tornado passed through an industrial park in Jeffersontown, Ky., in April. The National Weather Service provides real-time warnings about tornadoes across the country, which show up on cellphones, weather apps and websites and play on the radio and broadcast television stations in affected areas.

(

Jon Cherry

/

AP

)

Weather forecast Step 3: Translate the forecast from computer-speak to human-speak

The supercomputer is great at math, but it's not great at communicating with humans. When it is done crunching the numbers, it spits out a forecast result that's still mostly math.

Human forecasters then have to interpret the result and translate it into an actual weather forecast. For example, a string of numbers and probabilities becomes a map showing how much rain is expected to fall over a certain area in the next three days, and what the temperature will be each hour.

That work is done by professional weather forecasters, including meteorologists at more than 100 National Weather Service offices around the country. Local National Weather Service offices provide free, detailed local forecasts every few hours.

Meteorologists at private companies, including those who work for TV, radio and newspaper outlets, also rely on public weather model information to inform their local weather forecasts.

And if there's severe weather headed your way, like a hurricane, heavy rainstorm or tornado, the local National Weather Service office will put out a warning. That warning automatically shows up and makes an alarm sound on all the smartphones in the area. Warnings also play on the radio and on local television news stations, and they show up on weather apps and websites.

In their open letter this spring, former weather service directors warned that severe staffing shortages at local weather service offices could lead to less accurate and detailed forecasts this summer.

"Work is underway to restore services at local forecast offices around the country," according to a statement from the National Weather Service.

The summer and fall months are a busy time of year for severe weather in the U.S., from heat waves and hurricanes to heavy downpours and hailstorms. And climate change is causing dangerous weather to get more common.
Copyright 2025 NPR

Topline:

The case: In September, the city settled a lawsuit brought forward by two brothers in their 70s who said they suffered serious injuries after an LAPD officer crashed into their car. Days before the $18 million settlement was reached, lawyers for the brothers said Feldstein Soto called an expert witness testifying for the plaintiffs and “attempted to ingratiate herself with him and asked him to make a contribution to her political campaign,” according to a sworn declaration to the court by the plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Glassman.

The response: Feldstein Soto did not respond to an interview request. Her spokesperson said the settlement “had nothing to do” with the expert witness. Her campaign manager told LAist the city attorney had been making a routine fundraising call and did not know the person had a role in the case, nor that there were pending requests for her office to pay him fees.

What Jurado says: In a statement to LAist, Jurado said she wants to “make sure that the city’s legal leadership is guided by integrity and accountability, especially when their choices affect public trust, civic rights and the city’s limited resources."

What’s next: The motion needs to go through a few committees before reaching the full City Council. If it passes, the motion calls for the city attorney to “report to council in closed session within 45 days regarding the ethics breach violation and give updates to the City Council."

Every year in Santa Ana, Luis Cantabrana turns the front of his home into an elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe that draws hundreds of visitors.

Along the front of the house, the multi-colored altar is filled with lights, flowers and a stained-glass tapestry behind a sculpture of the Lady of Guadalupe. Cantabrana’s roof also is lit up with the green, white and red lights that spell out “Virgen de Guadalupe” and a cross.

Visitors are welcomed with music and the smell of roses as they celebrate the saint, but this year’s gathering comes after a dark year for immigrant communities.

Luis Cantabrana stands in front of the stunning altar he built in front of his home in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Every year, his display draws hundreds of visitors.

(

Destiny Torres

/

LAist

)

Why do they celebrate? 

In 1513, the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Juan Diego between Dec. 9 and Dec. 12, asking him to build a church in her honor. Her image — a brown-skinned woman wearing a green veil with her hands together in prayer and an angel at her feet — miraculously appeared on his cloak.

To celebrate in Santa Ana, worshippers gathered late-night Wednesday and in the very early hours Dec. 12 to pray the rosary, sing hymns and celebrate the saint.

Cantabrana has hosted worshippers at his home for 27 years — 17 in Santa Ana.

The altar started out small, he said, and over the years, he added a fabric background, more lights and flowers (lots and lots of flowers).

“It started with me making a promise to la Virgen de Guadalupe that while I had life and a home to build an altar, that I would do it,” Cantabrana said. “Everything you see in photos and videos is pretty, but when you come and see it live, it's more than pretty. It's beautiful.”

The Santa Ana home's elaborate altar in honor of La Virgen de Guadalupe draws hundreds of visitors each year.

(

Destiny Torres

/

LAist

)

Gathering in a time of turmoil 

Many also look to the Lady of Guadalupe for protection, especially at a time when federal enforcement has rattled immigrant communities.

“People don’t want to go to work, they don’t want to take their kids to school, but the love we have for our Virgen de Guadalupe,” Cantabrana said. “We see that la Virgen de Guadalupe has a lot of power, and so we know immigration [enforcement] won’t come here.”

Margarita Lopez of Garden Grove has been visiting the altar for three years with her husband. She’s been celebrating the Virgencita since she was a young girl. Honoring the saint is as important now as ever, she said.

“We ask, and she performs miracles,” Lopez said.

Claudia Tapia, a lifelong Santa Ana resident, said the Virgin Mary represents strength.

“Right now, with everything going on, a lot of our families [have] turned and prayed to the Virgen for strength during these times,” Tapia said. “She's a very strong symbol of Mexican culture, of unity, of faith and of resilience.”

See it for yourself

The shrine will stay up into the new year on the corner of Broadway and Camile Street.

California’s unemployment agency kept paying cellphone bills for 4 1/2 years without checking whether its workers actually were using the devices.

That’s how it racked up $4.6 million in fees for mobile devices its workers were not using, according to a new state audit detailing wasteful spending at several government agencies.

The Employment Development Department’s excessive cellphone bills date to the COVID-19 pandemic, when it shifted call center employees to remote work and faced pressure to release benefits to millions of suddenly unemployed Californians.

It acquired 7,224 cellphones and wireless hotspots by December 2020. State auditors analyzed 54 months of invoices since then and found half the devices were unused for at least two years, 25% were unused for three years and 99 of them were never used at all.

The investigation, which auditors opened after receiving a tip, identified 6,285 devices that were unused for at least four consecutive months, and said the department spent $4.6 million on monthly service fees for them.

From the beginning, the department had about 2,000 more cellphones than call center employees, according to the audit. The gap widened over time after the pandemic ended and the department’s staffing returned to its normal headcount.

As of April, the audit said the department had 1,787 unemployment call center employees, but was paying monthly service fees for 5,097 mobile devices.

“Although obtaining the mobile devices during COVID-19 may have been a good idea to serve the public, continuing to pay the monthly service fees for so many unused devices, especially post-COVID-19, was wasteful,” the audit said.

Department officials told auditors they were unaware of the spending, but auditors pointed to regular invoices from Verizon that showed which phones were not being used.

“We would have expected EDD management to have reconsidered the need to pay the monthly service fees for so many devices that had no voice, message, or data usage,” the audit said.

The unemployment department began acting on the auditors’ findings in April, when it canceled service plans for 2,825 devices. It has since implemented a policy to terminate service plans for devices that go unused for 90 days.

The California state auditor highlighted the mobile devices in its regular report on “improper activities by state agencies and employees.” The audit also showed that the California Air Resources Board overpaid an employee who was on extended leave as he prepared to retire by $171,000.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.