() — As peak hurricane season looms, the Department of Defense has announced the abrupt shutdown of a program that delivers crucial satellite data, leaving meteorologists scrambling.

Starting Monday, the Pentagon will no longer accept, process or transmit real-time data collected aboard three weather satellites.

Forecasters have raised serious concerns, warning they’ll only receive about half of the data they’re used to, which they say will be problematic for tracking real-time data from satellites jointly run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Pentagon.

Lives could be lost without Pentagon data: Forecaster

Meteorologists have warned the move will severely impede and degrade hurricane forecasts, leading to potentially dire consequences for tens of millions of Americans living in hurricane-prone areas.

“There are going to be cases this year when certain warnings are delayed because of this,” said James Franklin, retired National Hurricane Center branch chief. “It might mean that evacuations get delayed because of this, and you could lose lives because of this.”

Without satellite imagery, hurricane experts have warned of an increased risk of “sunrise surprises” storms that appear manageable at night before rapidly intensifying, gaining speed and potentially becoming more powerful before dawn.

NOAA forecasts nearly 20 storms this hurricane season

The National Hurricane Center said the decision caught them off guard but that they are working to prepare.

reached out to the Department of Defense for an explanation and was referred to the Air Force, which then redirected questions to the Navy. So far, no agency has provided a clear explanation for why the shutdown is happening or why it is happening now.

Franklin said warmer-than-usual ocean waters are expected to fuel another hectic hurricane season in the Atlantic.

NOAA predicts 13 to 19 named storms this season, with six to 10 becoming hurricanes and three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 110 mph.

Weather centers lost employees across US 

Weather forecasting offices across the country have been hit by significant staffing shortages.

Many National Weather Service centers no longer operate 24 hours a day, and the Environmental Modeling Center has seen significant personnel cuts. Since there aren’t employees to launch weather balloons twice a day, they have also lost that critical part of the satellite toolbox.

Even hurricane reconnaissance flights, known as “hurricane hunters,” can only fill part of the gap.

With half the usual data and limited staff, forecasters say this hurricane season could be especially dangerous. And with an above-average number of storms expected, the timing couldn’t be worse.