NWS & NOAA staffing shortages cause concern as hurricane season begins
National Weather Service raises concerns about layoffs
Cuts at NOAA and the National Weather Service under President Trump have some concerned headed into hurricane season. FOX 4's Alex Boyer talks about the layoffs and FOX 4 meteorologist Kylie Capps explains how the NWS works with local meteorologists.
DALLAS - The government agencies that are responsible for weather safety have been under extreme pressure because of cuts. Now, some lawmakers are sounding the alarm about a staffing shortage at the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Weather Safety Concerns
The backstory:
Over the past several months, 560 NWS employees have either been laid off or have accepted retirement options spurred by the Trump administration.
On Tuesday, the White House announced it would hire back 126 of those employees.
However, 30 of the nation’s 122 weather forecast offices are still without a meteorologist in charge, the person considered to be the most experienced weather expert. The National Hurricane Center in Miami also has five vacancies.
And with the predictions of an above-average hurricane season, many are concerned.
Nearly half of National Weather Service offices critically understaffed, report warns
A new AP investigation reveals that nearly half of National Weather Service offices are facing critical staffing shortages, with experts warning the gaps could put lives at risk during severe weather season.
What they're saying:
On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from the Seattle area, hosted a virtual meeting with two former NWS meteorologists in charge.
She is concerned about the cuts being made at the NWS and NOAA, especially heading into both hurricane and wildfire season.
"Do not take the staff away. Do not take the people that are giving us the analysis of this data and information. Do not take them off their job because they are going to help all of us be a network and prepare for hurricane season and later fire season," she said.
"Hurricane season started this week. So, we’re already a handful of days into the 2025 hurricane season. But the NWS and NOAA are dealing with their own storm right now in the form of short staffing and budget cuts. And it’s having an impacts on the number of staffing that are available to actually meet the 24/7 mission," said Brian LaMarre, the former meteorologist in charge at the NWS’s Tampa Bay office.
Cuts hit National Weather Service, FEMA ahead of hurricane season
With the start of hurricane season just days away, FEMA, the federal agency tasked with disaster response, is "not ready," internal documents show.
LaMarre said the meteorologist in charge is really the person leading the office and is the main point of contact when it comes to briefing elected officials, emergency management directors, state governors, city managers, and county or parish officials.
"These are the individuals that are leading that office and also leading change," he said.
He compared it to a puzzle with pieces missing.
"Not every office across the country is short-staffed, but there are as you said eight that are below a certain number of employees that work at that particular office, and that means they can’t work 24/7 operations. That’s never before happened in my career," LaMarre said.
Sen. Cantwell said every former director of the NWS, representing both Republicans and Democrats, has written a letter saying "the worst nightmare is that weather offices will be so understaffed that there will be a needless loss of life."
Local perspective:
North Texas is no stranger to severe weather in the form of hail, tornadoes, straight-line winds, and flash flooding.
The NWS meteorologists are the ones who issue the watches and warnings that TV meteorologists pass along to the public when those conditions arise.
"North Texans depend on broadcast meteorologists but they also depend just as much on the NWS meteorologists and technicians," said FOX 4 Weather Meteorologist Kylie Capps. "We are working in unison to make sure that information gets out to North Texans to make sure that everyone stays safe."
In the NWS’s Fort Worth office, two meteorologists took early retirement, and one information technology officer was let go.
The Houston office lost its meteorologist in charge.
The Source: FOX 4's Alex Boyer joined the virtual news conference and talked to FOX 4 Meteorologist Kylie Capps to gather details for this story.