Five former directors of the National Weather Service are warning that additional cuts to the agency\u2019s staffing could lead to unnecessary deaths during severe weather such as tornadoes, wildfires and hurricanes.
\n\u201cOur worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life. We know that\u2019s a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines\u2014and by the people who depend on their efforts,\u201d they wrote in an open letter published Friday.<\/p>\n
The former directors \u2014 who served between 1988 and 2022 \u2014 said that between the Trump administration\u2019s cuts to probationary workers and personnel reductions through buyouts, the weather service\u2019s staffing has been reduced by more than 10% during the busiest time for severe storm predictions.
\nThey said they\u2019re also concerned about the Trump administration\u2019s budget request for the next fiscal year, after the administration outlined in a letter to Congress a $1.52 billion proposed cut for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the weather service\u2019s parent agency.
\n\u201cNWS staff will have an impossible task to continue its current level of services,\u201d they wrote, if further cuts are implemented. \u201cSome forecast offices will be so short-staffed that they may be forced to go to part time services."<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Their outcry against cuts at the weather service, and the NOAA more broadly, shows that the agencies are a political pressure point as the Trump administration seeks to slash the size of government. Meteorologists said cuts to weather service staffing have led to less effective forecasts, which has spurred some bipartisan backlash in Plains states where severe weather claims many lives.
\nThe letter, which was sent to journalists by a publicist and also circulated on social media, was signed by the former weather service directors: Louis Uccellini, Jack Hayes, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. D.L. Johnson, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. John J. Kelly Jr. and U.S. Air Force Col. E.W. (Joe) Friday.
\nThey added: \u201cAs former directors of the National Weather Service, we know firsthand what it takes to make accurate forecasts happen and we stand united against the loss of staff and resources at NWS and are deeply concerned about NOAA as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a statement, the weather service said it wouldn\u2019t discuss internal personnel and management matters. It acknowledged that it was juggling staffing concerns.
\n\u201cWe continue to provide weather information, forecasts and warnings pursuant to our public safety mission,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThe National Weather Service is adjusting some services due to temporary staffing changes at our local forecast offices throughout the country in order to best meet the needs of the public, our partners and stakeholders in each office\u2019s local area. Work is underway to restore services at local forecast offices around the country.\u201d
\nThe White House did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n
Forecasts during severe weather last month in Nebraska helped to clarify concerns about the cuts and prompted one congressional Republican to speak out.
\nOn April 17, as thunderstorms threatened Iowa and Nebraska, the weather service forecasting office in Valley, Nebraska, near Omaha, launched a special weather balloon at 3 p.m. to assess the risk from the storms, but it did not launch a regularly scheduled 7 p.m. balloon because of staff cuts.
\nThe Valley office was one of more than 10 sites where the weather service announced it would cancel balloon launches because of staffing shortages.
\nIndependent meteorologists said the 7 p.m. balloon launch near Omaha could have helped forecasters identify the risk of tornadoes sooner. Storms that appeared to be mostly a hail threat in data from the 3 p.m. weather balloon ended up producing six tornadoes that tracked across eastern Nebraska.<\/p>\n
After the storm, Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., said he took steps to intervene. In an April 25 news conference recorded by NBC-affiliate WOWT in Omaha, he said he learned the Valley office\u2019s staffing had fallen from 13 forecasters to eight, leaving it little choice but to halt weather balloon operations.
\nAfter raising the issue, he told reporters he had received a call from the White House agreeing that changes were needed. Soon after, the weather service sent two forecasters to fulfill a temporary assignment at the Valley office.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve changed the policy across the country, and these temporary duty assignments are available for forecasters to go to all the other understaffed weather stations,\u201d Flood said, adding that temporary assignments could become permanent and that weather forecasting offices would be allowed to do some new hiring.
\nHe said he planned to introduce legislation to classify forecasters as public safety workers, a measure that would likely exempt them from federal buyouts and other staff-cutting policies.
\n\u201cThey are clearly public safety. And that\u2019s something that we need to do in Congress,\u201d Flood said.<\/p>\n
The issue of staffing cuts at the National Weather Service is a critical one, with potential consequences for public safety during severe weather events. The former directors’ warning and the recent incidents in Nebraska highlight the need for adequate staffing and resources to ensure accurate forecasts and timely warnings. It is essential for the government to prioritize the funding and support needed to maintain the effectiveness of the National Weather Service.<\/p>\n
Q: What is the main concern of the former directors of the National Weather Service?
\nA: The former directors are warning that additional cuts to the agency\u2019s staffing could lead to unnecessary deaths during severe weather events.
\nQ: How much has the weather service\u2019s staffing been reduced?
\nA: The staffing has been reduced by more than 10% during the busiest time for severe storm predictions.
\nQ: What is the proposed cut for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration?
\nA: The proposed cut is $1.52 billion.
\nQ: What is the potential impact of the staffing cuts on forecasting services?
\nA: The cuts could lead to less effective forecasts, which could have severe consequences during weather events.
\nQ: What action is being taken to address the issue?
\nA: Rep. Mike Flood plans to introduce legislation to classify forecasters as public safety workers, which would likely exempt them from federal buyouts and other staff-cutting policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to the Issue Five former directors of the National Weather Service are warning that additional cuts to the agency\u2019s staffing could lead to unnecessary deaths during severe weather such as tornadoes, wildfires and hurricanes. \u201cOur worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":14647,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-14646","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-weather"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcmiami.com\/2025\/05\/250506-nws-flood-getty.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=3363,1892&w=1920&resize=1920,1080&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14646"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14646"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14646\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14648,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14646\/revisions\/14648"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14646"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14646"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/miami\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14646"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}