Will government shutdown affect National Weather Service & NC hurricane updates?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Government shutdown paused many federal services, but NWS declared critical.
- NWS forecast offices will operate 24/7 during the shutdown.
- National Hurricane Center will continue updates.
The federal government has shut down in the middle of hurricane season.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress failed to pass a funding bill, The News & Observer previously reported. And because of that, 140,000 North Carolinians, along with many others across the country, will not receive paychecks as long as the shutdown continues.
It also means that some federally funded programs and services used in North Carolina will be unavailable.
The National Weather Service, an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, has forecast offices across the U.S.
Meteorologists in Raleigh, Newport and Wilmington, along with those in Greer, South Carolina, and Blacksburg and Wakefield in Virginia provide weather updates and forecasts for North Carolina communities. They also issue severe weather advisories, watches and warnings, including tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings.
Will the NWS continue to operate during government shutdown?
The commerce department has deemed the National Weather Service among the “critical functions,” so it will remain “fully operational” during the government shutdown.
This will allow weather forecast offices, river forecast centers, national operational centers and regional operations centers to continue their 24/7 schedule, providing forecasts and data.
The National Hurricane Center’s website, which displays regular updates on hurricanes, tropical storms and depressions and other disturbances in the Atlantic, will continue to be updated.
In its Plan for Orderly Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations report, the commerce department writes that “weather, water, and climate observations, prediction, forecasting, warning, and related support” will continue.
Hurricane season 2025
There have been nine named storms so far in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which continues until Nov. 30. Four hurricanes, including three major hurricanes, have formed.
The next named storm would be Jerry.
This story was originally published October 2, 2025 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Will government shutdown affect National Weather Service & NC hurricane updates?."
