Over the years, the accuracy of forecasting has improved because of the advancement of weather technology and observation networks. However, some argue that proposed budget reductions could lead back to a time of a less accurate forecast. As an example, the National Weather Service has been upgrading radar sites with newer systems, but the platforms that hold the new units will need to be rebuilt over the next 5 years. According to Don Derchoff, director of science and technology for the National Weather Service, currently there are no plans to do so. These delays or cancellations in equipment potentially will affect weather satellites, supercomputer systems and weather station networks all facing tighter funding. In these difficult economic times we are all experiencing tighter budgets, but there should be no doubt that reductions in funding, in the long term, will have an impact on the product. Officials are trying to bridge the gap. Recently, the NWS reached out to Japan and India to use data if needed from their satellites.
