Virginia Key, Florida — The ability to reliably track storm intensity has greatly increased in recent years.

Scientists from the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory, or AOML, on Virginia Key, have contributed significantly to that progress.

However, the office is about to be closed.

Local 10 Hurricane Specialist and Storm Surge Expert Michael Lowry points to NOAA’s proposed 2026 budget, which cuts $100 million from the agency.

That cut would affect over a dozen NOAA research labs, including AOML.

It would put hundreds of top scientists out of work.

“It’s a concerning thing for those of us who forecast hurricanes to think that we might not have the data that we have become accustomed to using,” Lowry told reporters. “The loss of the data for our forecasts could be potentially catastrophic.”

One of the most significant impacts would be the loss of critical hurricane hunters. They are pilots and scientists who fly planes over powerful storms to gather critical data in real time.

James Franklin, a retired hurricane specialist, has made his own direct prediction.

“I think ultimately, you will end up killing people when people don’t trust the forecast, or you have too many people who have to evacuate, get stuck on the roads,” according to him.

As hurricane season progresses, a new challenge awaits a vulnerable South Florida.

“They’re the only source that we have to forecast these really dangerous, sometimes life threatening (storms), and sometimes rapid intensification,” according to Lowry.