Hurricane forecasters won’t have key tool this season

Hurricane forecasters will not have a valuable tool for this hurricane season.

For nearly five years, NOAA has been able to send a fleet of drone vessels into severe weather to gather information. 

These small boats came from the California-based company Saildrone. They are able to record videos during major storms, but NOAA spokesperson says Saildrone wasn’t able to bid on a contract for the season.

Another anonymous NOAA source says that was because an agency request for a proposal came too late, and it was a matter of timing.