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NewsNation Gets Inside Look at National Weather Service
TEXAS, JUL 9 – Mass staff cuts and a proposed $1.8 billion budget reduction threaten the National Weather Service's ability to respond to severe weather, officials and experts warn.
- During the 4 July holiday, deadly Texas Hill Country storms caused catastrophic flooding, marking the deadliest disaster since NWS and NOAA staff cuts with over 100 fatalities or missing persons.
- Since February, about 600 National Weather Service employees have been lost through firings and buyouts, amounting to roughly 17% of personnel, due to staffing reductions prompted by efficiency mandates.
- San Antonio NWS had 18% vacancies but deployed extra forecasters during the Texas floods, as the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes.
- Following the floods, Senate leader Schumer called for an inspector general probe into staffing shortages impacting storm forecasts and future weather warning capacity.
- The NOAA proposes a $1.8 billion cut for 2026, eliminating climate labs, while increasing NWS funding by 6.7%, highlighting ongoing budget tensions amid disaster response concerns.
6 Articles
6 Articles
NewsNation gets inside look at National Weather Service
(NewsNation) — In the aftermath of the central Texas floods, a lot of eyes have now turned to the National Weather Service and its protocols for warnings. The NWS, which has 122 offices across the country, says it issued timely alerts in advance of the deadly floods on July 3 and accelerated them around 1 a.m. on July 4. It acknowledged forecasts are only one facet of a response, and local law enforcement must be able to interpret those warnings…
Maine’s storm preparedness may suffer under National Weather Service cuts
The fallout from the catastrophic flooding that has killed over 100 people in central Texas is raising new questions about how the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Weather Service could affect the forecasting for major storms across the country. That flooding was brought on by torrential rainfall that caused the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in 45 minutes. While some local officials have said they didn’t know the flooding was comin…
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