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California lawmakers are increasingly concerned about reduced federal staffing at the National Weather Service, which they say is damaging the state’s agricultural industry and harming important firefighting operations at risk.
In a letter obtained by the Times on Wednesday, US Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla from California urged the Trump administration to reverse significant cuts to the country’s major weather agencies, which have lost at least 600 employees this year.
“The safety and living of millions of Americans, and the economic success of California, relies on weather forecasts from the state’s NWS office,” Schiff leads the way to Commerce Secretary Howard Luttonick and Laura Grimm, deputy administrator of the Navigation Bureau for the National Marine and Atmosphere Weather Service.
“Protecting human life from harsh weather phenomena is not a partisan issue. It is important that the NWS have the necessary labor force to fulfill its core mission to protect human life,” the senator wrote.
Their letter follows the Times report, which found two of California’s six NWS offices (Hanford and Sacramento) to be one of the most challenging due to federal cuts in the country. The president and his informal government efficiency office say the cuts will help save taxpayers money and reduce federal waste.
Currently, Hanford is linked to Goodland, Kansas, with eight of the 13 positions unfilled as the NWS office with the highest percentage of vacant meteorologists in the country, or about 62% tied, according to a Times report using data from the National Weather Services Employee Organization. Sacramento is next worsening, with half of the 16 meteorologist positions currently empty.
The Hanford and Sacramento offices cover many of the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada, among the most fire-prone parts of California, and are responsible for providing extreme weather warnings to more than 7 million people. The office is no longer full of staff to operate it yourself 24 hours a day.
In a statement, NOAA spokesman Erica Grow-See said she works to fulfill her role in the office “maximum operational” through a combination of temporary recruitment and reallocation opportunities. The agency will also list a targeted number of permanent “mission-critical” positions under a division-wide employment freeze exemption to “more stable frontline operations.”
“National Weather Service continues to meet its core mission amid recent restructuring efforts and is taking steps to prioritize key research and services that keep American citizens safe and informed,” said Grow CEI.
Lawmakers and other state officials fear that staff cuts will not only critically leave California regional offices understaffing, but risk their lives.
“The significant reductions in these NWS offices will impact standard fire weather forecasts and warnings, and the safe execution of firefighting operations.
California is already fighting an explosive wildfire that is expected to get worse in the coming months. The state currently has 10 active flames, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention. The year began with the devastating Firestorm in Los Angeles. This arrived a few days after a few days of emergency messages from the NWS and flat sections of Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
Such advance weather warnings are an important part of the work of weather services, including a red flag warning that not only advises the public about potentially dangerous situations, but also informs the public that it will not only be known to state officials, according to David Acuña, battalion chief for communications with CAL fires.
It is also often the case that Meteorologists from the National Weather Service deploy to active fires to provide real-time weather information to crews, such as wind speed, humidity, and temperature.
Acuña declined to comment on the federal decision, but noted that Cal firefighters remained ready for an aggressive season. The agency’s latest seasonal outlook shows that the chances of fires are expected to rise steadily from summer until September, particularly in the southern Sierra and inland regions.
“We are ready to aggressively attack the fire, as has always been,” Ackna said.
Federal meteorologists also play a key role in California’s $500 billion agricultural industry, the senator said, “The lack of staffing in these NWS offices could directly harm farmers, leading to state and national economic losses, as well as less stable food supplies.”
In addition to snowman and precipitation observations, the Meteorological Bureau also provides soil moisture reporting, water supply outlook and temperature forecasts. All of these help run the farm. Especially because climate change makes state water supply unpredictable. For example, California’s Department of Water Resources publishes water supply forecasts and water resource updates using NWS data, similar to US drought monitors.
California is not the only state that tackles climate fuel disasters and shortages of weather forecasters.
In Texas, authorities are investigating whether staff cut at agents as catastrophic floods along the Guadalupe River in Carr County killed at least 133 people on July 4.
The NWS managed to issue floods and warnings ahead of the event, but the local office closest to the flood was a number of important positions, the documents show. Weather-adjusted meteorologists — public and local governments and forecasters — were bought by Trump in April, according to Tom Fahee, the Legislative Director of the National Weather Service’s Employee Organization.
Schiff and Padilla have requested federal officials to provide the latest availability information, details on staffing needs and employment plans, and impacts on fire-related work, farmers and food supply chains by July 31st.
Times staff writer Longgonlin II contributed to this report.
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