Hurricane Helene knocks top U.S. climate data center offline

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🗞️ Driving the news: Hurricane Helene's severe flooding in Asheville, North Carolina, has knocked offline the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), the U.S.'s primary tracker of climate and extreme weather data

🔭 The context: NCEI, run by NOAA, compiles critical climate data and maintains the list of billion-dollar weather and climate disasters
• The center has electricity but lacks running water, and its network outage is expected to last for several days

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The disruption of NCEI hampers efforts to track and analyze extreme weather events, which is essential for understanding climate impacts and informing disaster preparedness

⏭️ What's next: NOAA is focused on ensuring the safety of its staff and restoring the center's connectivity, though widespread power and water outages are complicating efforts

💬 One quote: "Our thoughts are with the people across western North Carolina and the region, and all of those who will deal with disruptions in their community for a long time." — NOAA statement

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