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Government scrambling to replace aging weather satellites

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - The government is scrambling to deal with a generation of weather satellites that are about to die.

The five satellites orbit the earth from pole to pole. They consistently send back information on everything from temperature, cloud formations, to wind and sea currents.

But they're going to stop working next year and their replacements won't launch until 2017.

In that gap, the ability to predict the path of major storms will be nearly impossible.

One recent example is Superstorm Sandy.

“The prediction of the path for Superstorm Sandy would have shown it going out to sea and not hitting new jersey at all,” said Gene Dodaro of the Government Accountability Office.

While the government works to solve the crisis the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working to develop an alternative plan for a potential gap.