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11h ago

National Weather Service Authorized to Hire 450 to Rebuild Forecast Capacity

Direct hiring authority from the Office of Personnel Management enables the NWS to move quickly on front-line roles crucial for hurricane and severe-weather forecasts after its staff was cut by more than 550 employees.

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This July 2024 photo shows a hurricane specialist at the National Weather Service's hurricane center in Miami.

Overview

  • On August 5, NOAA announced that the National Weather Service can directly recruit 450 new meteorologists, hydrologists and radar technicians.
  • The recruiting plan covers 126 mission-critical front-line roles previously approved under a public safety exemption from the federal hiring freeze.
  • Staffing plunged below 4,000 employees after cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency forced multiple office closures and scaled-back operations.
  • Shortages left key forecast offices understaffed, reduced weather balloon launches and left leadership posts vacant in high-risk regions such as Houston, Texas.
  • FEMA is simultaneously operating with a roughly 10 percent workforce shortfall and faces congressional scrutiny over disaster readiness as hurricane season intensifies.