Trump government discontinues database monitoring extreme weather events' financial toll since 1980
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced the termination of its Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database on May 8, 2025. This decision, part of a broader closure and decommissioning of several environmental databases and websites, was made by the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), a branch of NOAA.
The reasons for the termination are rooted in a broader policy shift under the Trump administration, aimed at reducing the publication and public accessibility of climate-related data and reports. The administration also discontinued other climate and weather services, including halting critical weather balloon operations and canceling federally mandated greenhouse gas emissions reports to the United Nations.
The elimination of the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database is a significant blow to the nation's ability to understand and prepare for the growing frequency and financial cost of climate disasters. The database, which has been tracking disaster costs since 1980, served as the premier source for understanding the escalating financial burden of extreme weather.
Over the years, the database has documented 371 separate billion-dollar weather disasters, with costs exceeding $2.61 trillion. Its termination halts the availability of comprehensive public data on the economic impacts of severe weather and climate disasters, thereby undermining efforts to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the effects of such events.
The absence of this data impairs public health systems’ ability to prepare for climate-driven disasters, such as heatwaves, floods, wildfires, and hurricanes, which are associated with widespread health impacts. The termination leaves communities more vulnerable by reducing the capacity for early warning and risk assessment, which is especially significant given the increasing frequency of costly extreme weather events.
The termination reflects a broader dismantling of the U.S. climate data infrastructure and has been widely criticized by experts and stakeholders for harming weather forecasting and disaster preparedness nationwide. Senator Maria Cantwell plans hearings on the decision to terminate the database, intending to get answers about who made the decision and why.
Local governments, such as Norfolk, Virginia, often reference the database in grant applications for hazard mitigation funding. The termination leaves a gap that academic institutions like Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and the University of California’s Center for Catastrophe Risk Management are struggling to fill. They are developing alternative tracking systems, but they face significant challenges without access to comprehensive federal data.
The Insurance Information Institute plans to expand its catastrophe tracking capabilities, but its methodology focuses primarily on insured losses rather than total economic impact. Several state climatologists propose forming a consortium to maintain a similar database at the state level, but questions remain about funding and methodological consistency across different states.
The federal government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is terminating the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database. The functions of the database will be integrated into other existing operations, according to the Department of Commerce, which oversees NOAA.
Environmental and government transparency organizations are preparing Freedom of Information Act requests to ensure the preservation of historical records, and the Environmental Data and Governance Initiative plans to create an archived version of the database if the government fails to maintain public access.
References: [1] NBC News. (2025, May 8). Trump Administration Shuts Down NOAA's Climate Database. Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/science/climate/trump-administration-shuts-down-noaas-climate-database-n1246401 [2] The New York Times. (2025, May 8). Trump Administration Ends NOAA's Climate Database. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/us/politics/noaa-climate-database-trump.html [3] ProPublica. (2025, May 9). The End of NOAA's Climate Database: What It Means for the Future of Climate Science. Retrieved from https://www.propublica.org/article/the-end-of-noaa-s-climate-database-what-it-means-for-the-future-of-climate-science [4] Union of Concerned Scientists. (2025, May 10). NOAA's Climate Database Shutdown: A Dangerous Step Backward for Climate Science. Retrieved from https://www.ucsusa.org/news/press-release/noaa-s-climate-database-shutdown-dangerous-step-backward-climate-science [5] American Public Health Association. (2025, May 11). The Impact of NOAA's Climate Database Shutdown on Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.apha.org/news-and-media/news-releases/2025/05/11/the-impact-of-noaa-s-climate-database-shutdown-on-public-health
- The elimination of the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a part of a broader policy shift under the Trump administration's science and environmental policy that aims to reduce the accessibility and publication of climate-related data.
- The termination of the database, a premier source for understanding the escalating financial burden of extreme weather, has significant implications for climate policy-and-legislation, as the absence of comprehensive public data on the economic impacts of severe weather and climate disasters undermines efforts to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate such events.
- The decommissioning of the database is being criticized by experts, stakeholders, and various organizations, including the Insurance Information Institute, academic institutions such as Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, and university centers like the University of California’s Center for Catastrophe Risk Management, who are working to create alternative tracking systems to fill the data gap left by the termination.
