"An internal document describes how severe shortages of meteorologists and other staff members could affect forecasts and other operations."
"The National Weather Service is preparing for the probability that fewer forecast updates will be fine-tuned by specialists, among other cutbacks, because of “severe shortages” of meteorologists and other employees, according to an internal agency document.
An agreement signed on April 10 between the service and the union representing its employees describes several measures that forecasting offices will take to manage the consequences of the Trump administration’s drive to reduce the size of the government. The document also says the service might reduce or suspend the launches of data-gathering weather balloons and eliminate the testing of new forecasting methods and technologies.
More than 500 people this year have already left the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service. Nearly 200 of those departures were people who work in weather forecasting offices, which had already faced serious understaffing.
About 300 additional people are expected to leave under the Trump administration’s latest resignation offer, according to two people familiar with the matter, who asked for anonymity because the administration has not officially made agency departure numbers public. Union officials said the departures at NOAA since President Trump took office have far exceeded the typical turnover rate."
Lisa Friedman reports for the New York Times April 16, 2025.
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