At the end of June and with no public notice, the federal government removed the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA) from the internet, as the web address that once housed it is now dark.
The NCA is a report produced regularly by the United States Global Research Program, which was established by Congress under the Bush administration in 1990. Its goal is to coordinate federal research and investments into better understanding and preparation for the increased risks to America from the warming climate.
The fifth version of this report, released in November 2023, provides the most updated scientific understanding of the climate, why it is changing, and how it impacts different parts of the country — economically, physically, and socially.
The sixth version of this congressionally mandated report had been in its infancy, with a planned release containing new data for late 2027 or early 2028. But like many foundational U.S. science programs, it was suddenly and inexplicably defunded in 2025, leaving its future uncertain at best.
Professional scientists from a dozen federal agencies have contributed to these reports, which were all made available for public comment before publishing, and their information provides insights on the impact of the warming climate on transportation, agriculture, economy, national security, and several other sectors.
Its loss is not just a problem for forecasters. Meteorologists like Chris Glonginger, a Certified Consulting Meteorologist and senior climate scientist at the Woods Hole Group in Massachusetts, use it regularly to help their clients minimize their risk.
“Losing access to NCA5 doesn’t just hinder scientists,” said Glonginger, “it blinds planners, engineers, and emergency managers who depend on the best available data to make life-saving decisions.”
Meteorologists and urban planners in coastal communities use the information to better predict the impacts from coastal flooding, especially as the incidence of sunny-day flooding continues to increase as the climate warms. This type of flooding happens without rainfall, either during an abnormally high tide or when a broad area of winds is blowing onshore from the open ocean or a larger inland bay.
Regionally in the Fredericksburg area, water levels on the Chesapeake Bay and Virginia’s tidal rivers, like the Potomac and the Rappahannock, have risen about 1-2 feet over the last century, leading to higher water tables and salinity lines creeping up the rivers. Ghost forests around the Chesapeake Bay are among the many natural indicators of these changes.
The data from the NCA also helps meteorologists know what the upper bounds of extreme weather will be, as new extremes continue to add up in the weather records.
“I use it routinely in my work to guide infrastructure investments, coastal adaptation, and community climate risk communication,” Gloninger said.
The searchable online report made it easy to access the critical information needed for environmental planning. With no new NCA in the works, consulting meteorologists will have to scour different publications to find the most recent analyses, costing them time and their clients money.
For example, changes in temperature, drought severity, extreme rainfall, and sea levels are already modifying agriculture in the Southeast. These changes are expected to be more difficult to manage as the climate continues to warm, as they will disproportionately harm small-scale farming operations.
Nonetheless, the report does highlight straightforward adaptation solutions, with agricultural techniques such as high precision farming available to decrease the impact of the warming climate.
And all is not lost yet, as an archived version has been preserved. It remains available online for now, but it is unclear how long that will last.
Glonginer, like many other professionals, is frustrated.
“This isn’t about politics, it’s about public safety,” he said.
Sean Sublette is a Virginia-based meteorologist and owner of Sublette Weather and Consulting.
