Cuts to the National Weather Service has ignited debate about the agency’s ability to respond to emergency weather events, like the Hill Country floods.
DALLAS — As rescue crews respond to the devastating floods that swept through Texas over the July 4 weekend, leaving more than 100 dead and more than 160 missing, igniting a debate about the National Weather Service’s response to the devastating weather event.
Currently, there are several important National Weather Service (NWS) jobs across the state that are vacant.
At the Austin-San Antonio National Weather Service office, whose forecast area includes hard-hit Kerr County, the office’s website shows six of about 27 jobs are vacant. Among the vacancies are one for a Warning Coordination Meteorologist, who works to coordinate between the NWS office, emergency managers, and the public, and a science and operations officer, which is a top research position. There are two meteorologist vacancies there, two management/administrative vacancies, one for a hydrologist, and one for an electronic technician.
At the NWS Fort Worth office, the website shows that at least four of about 27 positions are unfilled, including two meteorologist positions, an electronic systems analyst and an information technology officer.
At the NWS Houston-Galveston office, the website shows several key roles are vacant, including a meteorologist in charge, a warning coordination meteorologist, a science and operations officer, a port meteorological officer, four meteorologist positions, an electronic systems analyst, and two electronic technicians.
The NWS San Angelo office, which covers west central Texas, is also missing a meteorologist in charge, as are the NWS offices in Brownsville and El Paso. The Midland/Odessa office is missing a science operations officer.
In February, the Associated Press reported that hundreds of weather forecasters and other federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) employees on probationary status were fired. The National Weather Service is a branch of the NOAA.
Since the catastrophic Central Texas floods, politicians have engaged in back-and-forth about what role, if any, funding cuts at the NWS played in how the Texas floods were forecasted and how people in the Hill Country were alerted last week.
The National Weather Service issued several forecasts from July 1-4, warning of the risk of flash flooding. On July 4, at 1:14 a.m., a flash flood warning was issued for Kerr County. This was followed by additional communications at 2:28 a.m. and 3:02 a.m., and then, at 4:03 a.m., a rare flash flood emergency was declared. Here’s the full timeline of events and warnings issued by the Weather Service.
“The National Weather Service’s Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) in Austin/San Antonio and San Angelo, TX had extra personnel on duty during the catastrophic flooding event in Texas’s Hill Country during the July 4 holiday weekend. Extra staff members from both offices, in addition to the West Gulf River Forecast Center, had extra personnel on the night of Thursday, July 3, into the day on Friday, July 4,” a NWS spokesperson told WFAA.
“All forecasts and warnings were issued in a timely manner. Additionally, these offices were able to provide decision support services to local partners, including those in the emergency management community. The NWS remains dedicated to our mission to serve the American public through our forecasts and decision support services.”
National Weather Service efforts to address vacancies
The NWS says it’s working to address vacancies caused by people who took a voluntary early retirement option earlier this year.
The New York Times reports the National Weather Service was granted an exemption to President Donald Trump’s government-wide hiring freeze to hire 126 people. A NWS spokesperson told WFAA that the agency will soon advertise for a number of “permanent, mission-critical” field positions under an exception to the hiring freeze.
Among the other ways the NWS says it’s doing that are short-term temporary duty assignments and reassigning some to fill roles at NWS field offices with the greatest need.
“The National Weather Service continues to meet its core missions amid recent reorganization efforts and is taking steps to prioritize critical research and services that keep the American public safe and informed. NWS is committed to investing in new technology and prioritizing public safety,” National Weather Service Public Affairs specialist Erica Grow Cei said in a statement.
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