In a significant policy shift, the Trump administration announced Tuesday it will authorize the National Weather Service (NWS) to hire over 100 new staff members, with an aim to "stabilize operations" at field offices nationwide. The decision follows months of criticism over the elimination of nearly 600 positions earlier this year, which had sparked concerns about the agency's ability to issue timely and accurate forecasts.
Tom Weber has been among the voices raising those alarms.
"The fact that the Administration felt it had to add back some staff only underscores how bad the situation had gotten so quickly,’ Weber said.
The frontline of weather warnings
Weber is a veteran journalist and author of the new book Cloud Warriors: Deadly Storms, Climate Chaos, and the Pioneers Creating a Revolution in Weather Forecasting. He explained to Connecticut Public that Connecticut is served by three NWS centers located in Albany, Long Island, and Norton, Massachusetts.
"These are the places staffed with local experts on your weather," he said. "They understand the quirks of geography that can affect the forecast that just comes out of the computer."
He emphasized any effort to cut staffing at these NWS local forecast field offices could be quite damaging to their ability to warn us about dangerous weather.
"Because dangerous weather can strike at any time, the local office is staffed with forecasters on duty 24/7. These are the people who issue warnings when there’s a severe thunderstorm or a winter storm or a tornado on the way," Weber said. "They just bring a huge amount of local knowledge to that work."
Staffing shortages and public safety risks
Weber said the Trump-era staffing cuts left those local offices stretched thin. He compared the situation to the well-publicized shortage of air traffic controllers.
“People are working hard, they're trying to get the job done, but the fewer people who are available, the more stretched things get,” he noted.
Some NWS offices have even had to forgo overnight forecasters—an absence Weber called “pretty concerning.”
State-level initiatives to bridge the gap
With federal resources under strain, some states have been trying to fill the void. Weber pointed to New York’s Weather Risk Communication Center, established in late 2023, as a promising model. This Albany-based group translates technical forecasts into actionable advice for emergency managers, schools, hospitals, and marginalized communities.
“One of the things I think state governments can do is just make sure that there’s a way to channel not only the forecast, but what it means to everyone who can use that information to make a smarter decision,” Weber said.
Problem solved?
Weber is approaching the news about the Trump administration’s decision to increase staffing levels at NWS offices with what can best be described as cautious optimism.
“I did see there’s some rehiring, which is good news,” Weber said. “But I will wait to see if it really is enough to undo the damage. One can hope, though!”
