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Layoffs of hundreds of NOAA employees, including weather forecasters and climate scientists, prompt fears of reduced safety and economic impacts during severe weather events.

A wharf in Capitola, Calif., was broke during a storm in early 2023. Powerful storm systems slammed California in late 2022 and early 2023, with thousands of people impacted by power outages, road closures, downed trees, landslides and flooding. 
A person walks along a flooded street as a powerful long-duration atmospheric river, the second in less than a week, impacts California on Feb. 4, 2024, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
A whale breaches the water near the shore close to Nick’s Rockaway in Pacifica, Calif., on Aug. 19, 2024.
SILVER SPRING, MD - MARCH 03: Hundreds of demonstrators gather to protest against Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cuts outside the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on March 03, 2025 in Silver Spring, Maryland.

Overview

  • The Trump administration has implemented significant layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with approximately 800 employees terminated, including key National Weather Service (NWS) staff.
  • The cuts have left several NWS offices critically understaffed, particularly in regions prone to severe weather, potentially hampering disaster preparedness and public safety efforts.
  • Former NOAA employees warn that the layoffs, part of a broader government restructuring plan led by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, could have long-term consequences for climate research and weather forecasting capabilities.
  • The layoffs have disrupted essential services, such as storm warnings, predictive modeling for industries, and environmental monitoring, with some offices unable to maintain around-the-clock staffing during severe weather outbreaks.
  • Critics argue that privatizing or weakening NOAA's functions could lead to less accessible and accountable weather data, impacting public safety and the multibillion-dollar economy reliant on accurate forecasts.