news report
Drought Covered 48.54% of the Lower 48 in Early August
The Aug. 4 Drought Monitor showed another weekly increase as conditions worsened in the Northern and Southern Plains and the Northwest.
entities
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
news report
Can DNA Prove Where Imported Seafood Came From? GAO Says the Tools Have Limits
Digital tracking and laboratory tests can expose origin fraud, but thin reference libraries, processing and cost still restrict enforcement.
news report
NOAA Raises Odds of a Below-Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season to 75%
The Aug. 6 update projects 7–13 named storms for the full season and cites a strengthening El Niño, while stressing that it is not a landfall forecast.
news report
NOAA Diving Records Carry 336 Annual Burden Hours
The agency estimates 141 respondents for medical and equipment records supporting more than 300 divers, with comments on the renewal due Oct. 13.
news report
NOAA Forecasts 7,027-Square-Mile Gulf Dead Zone for Summer 2026
The model estimate is above the 39-year measured average despite low May river flow, as nitrate and phosphorus loads moved in opposite directions.
news report
NOAA Seeks Comment on Right-Whale Vessel Speed Records
The agency proposes no changes to required safety-deviation logs and voluntary operator surveys, estimating 3,624 respondents and 674 annual burden hours.
news report
NOAA Moves Operational Weather Models to Commercial Cloud
Google Cloud will support the agency’s high-performance forecast computing as NOAA seeks a system that is easier to update and scale.
news report
NWS Proposes Twice-Daily Full-Ocean Sea-State Analyses
The agency would add Atlantic and Pacific basin products at 00 and 12 UTC while discontinuing eight regional wind-and-wave analyses; comments close Aug. 31.