Recent 'lapse of federal funding' disrupts NOAA climate centers

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Midwest Regional Climate Center, or MRCC, was one of four regional climate centers that briefly stopped operations due to lack of federal funding on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, receives its funding from the Department of Commerce.

The disruption lasted five days in total, from that Thursday to the following Monday, April 21.

That meant no more access to tools like freeze probability or soil temperature climatology maps, both of which are necessary to farmers and others who rely on agriculture to make a living in Michiana and the rest of the states.

For meteorologists, the temporary loss of data from the MRCC slowed down their ability to both inform the public about day-to-day weather and climatological updates as well.

With the MRCC now back online and services being restored, the public regained access to an extremely helpful service that anyone with an internet connection can use. 

While it is unclear how long the MRCC’s contract has been renewed for, the southern regional climate center stated that their service has received funding for another year.

ABC57 Meteorologist Emmett Twomey discusses how Regional Climate Centers aid meteorologists in weather and climate education as well as farmers preparing for planting, growing, and harvesting.