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Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa. Image credit: NOAA
The 2025 hurricane season has officially concluded, and NOS teams were there every step of the way, helping on the ground, from the sea, and in the clouds. Below are some ways that we support communities throughout each hurricane season and year round — some might surprise you!
Following major natural disasters, as soon as assignments are given and the weather permits, the National Geodetic Survey conducts aerial survey missions to assess damages to affected areas. The data and images collected provide a cost-effective way to better understand the damage sustained to both property and the environment, and aids emergency and coastal managers in efforts to develop recovery strategies, facilitate search and rescue efforts, identify hazards to navigation, and more. The general public can also view and download these images to assess impacts to their homes and community. Check out some tips on how to use the imagery viewer.
This year, NOAA flight crews recorded their second- and third-longest missions after the Texas flooding and Hurricane Melissa, totaling 61.8 and 55.3 hours, respectively. The team also responded to the California wildfires, Hurricane Erin, and Midwest flooding.
NOAA Beechcraft King Air N65RF taxis to the NOAA Aircraft Operations Center in Lakeland, Florida. Image credit: NOAA
There’s no better way to measure a hurricane than by being inside the storm, and that’s where hurricane gliders excel. Gliders gather data below the ocean’s surface to monitor and track ocean features linked to hurricane intensity changes, and also capture how the ocean changes underneath a passing storm. This hurricane season, the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System and partners collected 91,918 temperature and salinity data profiles, which keep ocean models up to date with the latest information and improve hurricane forecasts. Three gliders were in Hurricane Erin's path as it rapidly intensified to a Category 5 storm in ~24 hours, and this data informed the National Hurricane Center’s intensity forecast. Additionally, throughout the season, underwater gliders were part of a coordinated effort to better understand hurricane dynamics and improve forecasts by placing multiple observing tools in the same place, including dropsondes released by NOAA Hurricane Hunters.
An underwater hurricane glider just below the ocean’s surface. Image credit: Cape Eleuthera Institute
In 2025, NOS teams made significant advancements in using tools that help communities access the information needed to protect people, industries, and environments from storm surge and flooding.
Coastal Ocean Reanalysis (CORA): This year, residents of the U.S. East, Gulf, and Caribbean coasts could learn about nearby historical water levels from the first comprehensive modeled water level and wave dataset. Communities between tide gauges now have access to high resolution data that enables them to assess their historical flood risks. For the scientific and research communities, CORA provides free, previously unavailable data to help advance research, machine learning, and policymaking across multiple sectors, such as energy planning and coastal resource management.
New ways to view coastal economic data: NOAA’s Digital Coast website and GeoPlatform now show map-based data depicting the businesses and jobs potentially impacted by hurricane storm surge, 100-year flood zones, and tsunamis. This first-of-its-kind, authoritative information, reported as state- and county-level statistics, can aid in identifying specific at-risk industries, help fortify coastal communities’ economies, and ensure safe investments in risk reduction and storm mitigation along the coast. This data is the result of a partnership between NOAA and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Sea Level Calculator: This new tool makes sea level and flooding data more accessible to technical audiences, empowering state and local decision-making for future flooding. Designed to meet the needs of engineers, planners, and restoration practitioners, the calculator is a one-stop shop for current data users who rely on multiple sources to gather information. In addition to access to NOAA water level data, this tool also provides customized graphics, charts, and maps, which help users explain local flood risk.
This image from CORA captures historical maximum water levels for the entire South Carolina coastline. The CORA dataset fills gaps in water level observations between tide stations providing historical water levels at each of the red, orange, and yellow dots, spaced every 500 meters along the coast. Image credit: NOAA
These are just a few of the many ways NOS helps protect Americans during hurricane season and beyond. Learn more about NOAA’s forecasts, research, and response efforts throughout the 2025 hurricane season.
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