New England Diary

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5G vs. hurricane forecasts

— Source (WP:NFCC#4)

Weather map on the morning of Sept. 21, 1938. The hurricane, then just off Cape Hatteras, roared into Long island and southern New England that afternoon.

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

Some experts, including Neil Jacobs, the acting head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are warning that the introduction of the much anticipated 5G wireless cellular network could slash weather forecasting accuracy by interfering with data transmission from weather satellites. This could have perilous effects, particularly with hurricane forecasting and especially for New England because hurricanes striking our region tend to move north very fast after they go by Cape Hatteras, N.C. (The infamous New England Hurricane of Sept. 21, 1938 moved more than 50 miles an hour into our region.)

Mr. Jacobs testified to the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment on May 16 that 5G wireless signals could cut forecast accuracy by 30 percent!

The telecommunications industry, which sees 5G as a vast bonanza, has so far done little to address this challenge.

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