Overview
- The NWS lost about 560 employees through layoffs and early retirement incentives earlier this year, reducing its workforce by roughly 15 percent.
- NOAA obtained a temporary exception to the federal hiring freeze, authorizing the addition of around 125 meteorologists, hydrologists and technical specialists.
- The service is also reassigning staff internally and processing transfers to support forecast offices that have cut overnight shifts and reduced operations.
- More than a dozen offices report vacancy rates exceeding 35 percent, prompting cutbacks in weather balloon launches that feed data into forecasting models.
- With 13 to 19 named storms predicted for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, lawmakers including Sen. Maria Cantwell are urging broader exemptions to restore NWS capacity.