NWS Scrambles to Replace Staff Cut by DOGE
A Vermont Agency of Transportation plow truck plows a section of Route 9 in Marlboro, Vermont, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, as a snowstorm passes through the region. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
The National Weather Service is working to rebuild its workforce after significant staffing cuts, but progress has been slow, prompting concerns about whether the agency can deliver timely and accurate forecasts during high-risk storm seasons. Although the NWS received approval in July to hire 450 new employees—following the elimination of roughly 550 positions earlier in the year by the Department of Government Efficiency—it has so far received only about 80 finalized job acceptances, according to CNN. The positions include meteorologists, hydrologists, and other technical specialists.
As winter storm season approaches, more than a dozen forecast offices across the country remain understaffed. Experts warn that these shortages could compromise the speed and accuracy of critical, potentially life-saving weather alerts. Several of the hardest-hit offices are located in some of the nation’s coldest and snowiest regions, the Washington Post reports. Offices in Goodland, Kansas; Rapid City, South Dakota; and Cheyenne, Wyoming are each operating with seven or eight fewer meteorologists than needed. The Des Moines, Iowa office is short six meteorologists and two technical staff members.
Because of the staffing shortfalls, some offices have been forced to cut back on weather balloon launches, a key source of atmospheric data used in forecasting models. Fewer launches can lead to less reliable forecasts. The National Weather Service operates under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Rick Spinrad, who served as NOAA administrator during the Biden administration, warned that the staffing situation could have serious consequences. “It would not be a surprise if we saw a major devastating storm this winter, for which loss of life and damage to property was in part a consequence of not being as prepared as we would be with a fully staffed NOAA,” he told the Washington Post.
Spinrad also told CNN that the current effort is attempting to reverse earlier decisions. “The administration is trying to put out a fire that they started,” he said, noting that the planned 450 hires would not fully cover the staffing gap. He added that many of the highly specialized roles at the NWS have historically taken up to a year to fill, and even a rapid hiring surge would not replace the decades—or centuries—of collective experience lost when veteran staff were let go.
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