In a statement, the director of the NWS surface and upper air division said the suspension is effective immediately and will be in place until further notice.

But staff meteorologists admit the interruption of weather balloon launches will undermine the accuracy of the agency's weather modeling and forecasts.

Weather balloon launches are essential to weather forecasting. They are launched all over the country, mainly by employees at local National Weather Services (NWS) offices, several times a day. As these balloons float away into the sky,

Within hours of the news, forecasters at news outlets throughout the country decried the decision, saying that it would undermine forecasting for affected communities.

This decision has raised concerns among forecasters about its impact on weather predictions, who use these balloons to collect crucial atmospheric data.

The National Weather Service is temporarily grounding weather balloons in New York and Maine due to staffing shortages. These balloons collect critical atmospheric data to help meteorologists forecast weather,