"The National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, N.C., sweep together data from around the world to help track Earth’s warming."

"Among the many pieces of critical infrastructure that Hurricane Helene knocked offline in Asheville, N.C., was a key federal office for monitoring the global climate. Work is underway to get the facility running again, but the outage is likely to delay some agencies’ monthly updates on global warming and other climate indicators.

The data center at the National Centers for Environmental Information in Asheville, run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, remained shut down, according to John Bateman, a NOAA spokesman. The building that houses the facility had power but not water, and its network service provider still was not operational.

All of the center’s employees have been accounted for, although many were still without electricity and water at their homes, Mr. Bateman said. The center’s data archive, including its paper and film records, was safe. But a number of its websites and systems remain offline, and NOAA officials were not sure when services might be restored."

Raymond Zhong reports for the New York Times October 3, 2024. [2]