Despite a treasure trove of public-facing weather intelligence, Americans may be headed toward the day they have to pay for anything beyond the basics

The National Weather Service serves up weather and climate data free of charge for consumers and businesses.

But Americans may be headed toward the day when they have to pay for anything beyond the basics.

Any new weather forecasting sector would be dominated by Big Tech , which has already shown a disposition toward monopolization.

Federal government meteorologists are held blameless for busted forecasts, but private weather companies have fewer protections.

Judicial precedent has protected private forecasters—for now.

In the tornado-prone Paducah , Kentucky , area, keeping the Amish and other off-the-grid communities aware of weather developments is a major concern.

Federal cost-cutting has even gone after tools that are cheaper and more accurate.

The 2025 hurricane season promises to be a real-time evaluation of whether the National Weather Service is broken beyond repair.

Experts wonder how anyone in the private sector could fill the gaps.

Business-to-business weather companies could theoretically use profits from selling specialized forecasts to farmers, fishers, airlines, and other companies to power free data for everyone else.