National Weather Service employees warn cuts could impact severe weather coverage

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - The Trump istration and congressional Republicans are pushing for cuts across the federal government. The National Weather Service, or NWS, wasn’t spared, and employees warn it could put American families in harm’s way.

Between 2010 and 2025, the NWS lost 300 employees through attrition. In the past six months, since President Donald Trump began his second term, it’s lost the same number of staff. Except now, spending and hiring freezes prevent those people from being replaced.

Tom Fahey with the National Weather Service Employees Organization said the massive cuts have forced six offices to suspend overnight services.

“They have decided to cancel the services for overnight,” he said. “That means there’s not enough meteorologists to go around in that particular weather forecast office to staff the desk and do all the various things that meteorologists do during the course of the evening to monitor severe weather impacts in the community.”

Fahy urged Americans not to worry because a failsafe plan is already in motion. For example, the Sacramento office now closes shop at night, but neighboring offices are covering their region until the morning.

“These other stations are monitoring weather activity in California’s central valley. As a result, if any severe weather or anomaly pops up, those weather offices monitoring the Sacramento zone – Central Valley – they would activate the weather watch warning to protect the citizens in those communities," he said.

The employees’ concerns are being heard on Capitol Hill. A group of 14 Democratic and Independent senators oppose the cuts to NWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric istration, or NOAA, which monitors satellites used for forecasting.

“NWS would be unable to provide accurate and timely forecasts without sufficient staffing levels at weather forecast offices nationwide. In addition to daily forecasting operations, weather forecast offices are responsible for issuing emergency weather warnings ahead of events,” they said in part in a statement led by Democratic Vermont Senator Peter Welch

Ultimately, the NWS wants Trump to allow the agency hiring authority to fill out its ranks. Despite being short staffed and facing a pullback in funding, NWS workers remain committed to their mission.

“They are a dedicated workforce that’s only interested in saving American lives,” Fahy said.

Forecasters are predicting another hotter-than-average summer. Sunday marks the official start of hurricane season.

In addition to Central California losing overnight services, Fairbanks, Alaska, Eastern Kentucky, Northwest Kansas, Southeast Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle are all losing nightly coverage.