Weathering Data Gaps: Adapting to Extreme Weather with Imperfect Information

On Thursday, March 12th, 2026, the Extreme Weather Resilience Hub, in collaboration with The Impact Project, convened experts to discuss the impact of data gaps in adapting to more frequent and intense extreme weather events. It is widely reported that communities need accurate and actionable data around extreme weather, but with reductions in federal data collection, states, localities, Tribes, and territories (SLTT) must shift their strategies to continue resilience efforts.

Academy President and CEO James-Christian Blockwood opened by emphasizing collaboration among practitioners, researchers, and partners to help governments shift from reactive response to proactive adaptation and resilience. He noted that the data necessary to inform SLTT government decision making exists in a fragmented environment, made more complicated with a reduced federal role in data collection and dissemination. These events provide a trusted space for practical insight aligned with the Academy’s commitment to good governance.

Abigail Andre, Director of The Impact Project, spoke about why she and her co-founder decided to launch this new initiative as a nonpartisan data aggregation and visualization group to document gaps created at the federal level. The Impact Project examines how federal-level staffing cuts, policy shifts, and funding changes have occurred across multiple agencies involved in disaster recovery and captures the impacts on local communities. Their efforts to preserve federal data, gather information on the successful responses, and identify practical governance improvements are vital to reshaping an already fragmented system.

With uncertainty looming over the future of consistent, reliable data in disaster preparations and response, Jonathan Gilmour of the Impact Project then moderated a panel discussion focusing on the current state of federal data and future opportunities for improvement in data collection and analysis, and decision making. He was joined by a panel of experts with substantial data experience, including:

• Tom Di Liberto, Media Director at Climate Central

• Denice Ross, Senior Advisor at the Federation of American Scientists and Former U.S. Chief Data Scientist

• Hannah Safford, Associate Director of Climate and Environment at the Federation of American Scientists

The panel discussed the current role of the federal government in extreme weather data, the range of impacts that data gaps have nationwide, and opportunities for future improvement in federal data structures. They unanimously agreed that data management for extreme weather should be coordinated and collaborative, readily accessible and replicable, and integrated with new third-party modeling technologies to ensure optimal decision making across all levels of government.

The event featured many valuable insights and critical takeaways, but the following are the most vital:

• Federal data cuts will have both short-term and long-term impacts. In examining the current state of federal data, Denice Ross focused on the initial removal of specific data fields from existing data sets. These removals have had immediate impacts on data completeness across SLTT government levels. In the longer term, the federal staff reductions present longer-lasting difficulties, since decision making relies on experts who can interpret and explain the data for extreme weather planning. Traditionally, federal data spans locality boundaries by providing critical regional information, making place-based and cross-jurisdictional decision making easier. Federal data is vital for preparing for both extreme weather and major public events such as the Super Bowl, and its decline creates cascading challenges for SLTT governments and others who depend on it.

• Policy leaders should reimagine how they view the benefits of data. Denice Ross and Hannah Safford referenced one of their projects, essentialdata.us. This project, which contains one sentence “love letters” to specific datasets, emphasizes who benefits from accessible data and reaffirms the need for consistent, reliable, and trusted data that informs, supports, and helps all citizens. It is important to capture the benefits of data from the users so that policy leaders understand the impact of its elimination.

• The federal government’s role in extreme weather data requires redesign, an issue that predates the current Administration’s changes. Tom Di Liberto mentioned that the number of federal agencies involved in data can lead to unintentional siloing of information. Reinventing the federal role to be more collaborative across agencies and levels of government is increasingly crucial. The previous Administration also had difficulties integrating new third-party modelling technologies for weather and climate, further underscoring the need for greater coordination. Targeted communication efforts that build trust between data and policy leaders will be beneficial in bringing these improvements to the decision making process.

This conversation clearly demonstrated that state, local, Tribal, and territorial leaders need access to accurate, credible information to make decisions on how to adapt and build resilience to the impacts of increased extreme weather. At a time when the role of the federal government is being reexamined, SLTT leaders and their communities must reevaluate longstanding processes and determine where nonprofits and private companies can and cannot replace the federal government’s role, consider strategic public-private partnerships to address these challenges, and strengthen intergovernmental partnerships across all levels to share and integrate data into extreme weather decision making.

As we look at what comes next, the panelists provided thoughtful ideas for how to continue to address extreme weather with data and make progress towards greater resiliency, including:

• Focusing on preserving federal data, gathering information on successful responses, and identifying practical governance improvements.

• Ensuring we attract and retain experts who can effectively communicate extreme weather planning concepts.

• Find new ways to reaffirm the citizen-focused need for consistent, reliable, and trusted data.

• Continue to find ways to support a more collaborative approach across agencies and levels of government to tackle these complex challenges.

To watch the full panel discussion, click here. Stay tuned for more information from the Academy’s Extreme Weather Resilience Hub.