National Weather Service Adds Staff

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has announced they will hire 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians.This comes after a concerted effort by Congressmen Mike Flood (NE-01) and Eric Sorensen’s (IL-17) to help the National Weather Service (NWS), which is a part of NOAA, fully staff critical positions at their offices.Earlier this year, President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cut 1,000 jobs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), of which NWS is a part. The immediate impact of those cuts was the reduction of weather balloon launches. NWS suspended weather balloon observations at Omaha and Rapid City, South Dakota, and cut launches at other locations from twice a day to once a day. The trump administration received push back from Nebraska’s federal delegation. Critics of the cuts warned they could negatively impact the safety of Americans during severe weather events.According to a press release from Congressman Flood’s office after the announcement, “While the decision is welcomed news, the Congressmen are continuing to urge their colleagues to pass their bipartisan Weather Workforce Improvement Act to ensure these positions will remain permanent and not be subject to any future reductions.”“For decades the National Weather Service has helped keep our communities safe with accurate and timely forecasts,” said Congressman Flood. “This announcement from the administration sends a message that they’re focused on strengthening the NWS for years to come. I applaud the decision and will continue to work to support the agency’s critical work.” “For months, Congressman Flood and I have been fighting to get NOAA and NWS employees the support they need in the face of cuts to staff and funding,” said Congressman Sorensen. “Hundreds of unfilled positions have caused NWS offices across the country to cancel weather balloon launches, forgo overnight staffing, and force remaining meteorologists to overwork themselves. While I welcome this overdue news to hire more meteorologists, we need to pass our bipartisan bill to ensure these new hires are permanent and protected from any future cuts.”Earlier this year, Congressmen Flood and Sorensen introduced their bipartisan Weather Workforce Improvement Act, which would allow NWS to quickly and fully staff their offices with meteorologists, general physical scientists, hydrologists, computer specialists, and electronic technicians in the immediate future.

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