As Trump Guts NOAA, These Cities Are In The Path of a Major Winter Storm This week

Serene winter scene at a lakeside park in Chicago, with bare trees and snow-covered path.

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Last week, the Trump administration announced the firing of hundreds of NOAA workers and the shuttering of several key forecasting offices. The cuts were initiated under the auspices of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, and are causing panic throughout the scientific community and other stakeholders concerned about climate change and the future of environmental monitoring.

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While the DOGE initiative aims to cut fat from the federal government while preserving critical functions, the first test of the slimmed-down NOAA will come over the next few days, as a major winter storm system moves its way across the Midwest. The storm is expected to deliver over six inches of snow to more than two million Americans, and bring minor to major impacts – which include dangerous or impossible driving conditions and widespread closures to infrastructure – to more than two dozen major cities with over 100,000 residents. A closer look at the storm path reveals the cities most vulnerable to winter storm impacts in the wake of the NOAA’s staffing cuts.

To determine the cities in the path of this week’s winter storm, Climate Crisis 247 reviewed data on snowfall accumulation forecasts from the NOAA. Cities with at least 25,000 residents were ranked based on total forecast snowfall accumulation for March 4 to 6, 2025. Only cities forecast to experience minor, moderate, or major winter storm impacts – a product of the Winters Storm Severity Index of the NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center – were considered. Population data is from the U.S. Census Bureau.