https://www.wired.com/story/a-drop-in-commercial-flights-is-bad-for-hurricane-forecasts/

As the hurricane season’s third tropical storm churns toward the US coast, forecasters lack some key data that helps them predict a hurricane’s size, speed, and path. Cruise ships and commercial airlines that collect weather information along their routes are now mostly grounded because of the coronavirus pandemic, forcing meteorologists to rely on satellites that are slightly less accurate than direct measurements of the atmosphere.

Federal health officials imposed a “no-sail” order on the cruise ship industry because of infections aboard several liners, while air travel has plummeted since many states imposed lockdowns in mid-March. Airlines canceled thousands of flights, according to figures from the Transportation Safety Administration.