Trump administration halts NOAA climate tool that could warn cities about future flood risks

The Commerce Department has paused the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) effort to model future rainfall extremes linked to climate change, leaving cities and engineers without critical data as storms intensify nationwide.

Sarah Kaplan reports for The Washington Post.

In short:

• NOAA’s Atlas 15 project, designed to update national rainfall frequency estimates and model future precipitation under climate scenarios, has been stalled by the Trump administration.
• The climate projections portion of the dataset — volume two — was nearly complete before being put on indefinite hold by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, despite its modest remaining cost.
• Engineers and flood planners rely on NOAA data to design infrastructure that can withstand severe weather; delaying updates could mean outdated standards persist as flood risks rise.

Key quote:

“Designing our infrastructure for resilience is fundamentally a cost-saving measure.”

— Ed Clark, former director of NOAA’s National Water Center

Why this matters:

As global temperatures climb, the atmosphere holds more moisture, fueling stronger, more frequent storms. Yet many U.S. cities and towns still plan for floods using decades-old data. Without updated rainfall models, public works like bridges, culverts and storm drains may fail during the extreme weather events that are becoming more common. Federal data like NOAA’s Atlas 15 serves as a gold standard for engineers and regulators, forming the basis of building codes and long-term planning. Halting its climate projections leaves a gaping hole in national preparedness, potentially costing lives and billions in recovery. As record floods strike regions from Texas to New Jersey, accurate forecasts aren’t critical infrastructure in their own right.

Related: Trump administration moves to shut down critical storm research lab in Oklahoma