Meteorology Matters16 Touko 2025

NOAA & NWS Hiring - Firing Chaos as Hurricane Season Approaches

January 2025: A government-wide hiring freeze begins in the United States, impacting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and its subsidiary, the National Weather Service (NWS).
February 2025: Approximately 250 NWS employees are fired or take buyouts as part of staffing cuts.
Sometime between February and May 2025: An additional 300 NWS employees depart the agency, bringing the total number of recent departures and firings to an estimated 500 out of a staff that numbered over 4,200 before President Trump's second term.
Early May 2025: Five former NWS chiefs issue an open letter warning that the Trump administration's cuts could lead to "a needless loss of life" and that offices are so thinly staffed some roles will have to be filled on a part-time basis.
Prior to May 14, 2025: NOAA and NWS internal documents reveal a range of open positions across the country. NOAA managers send emails pleading with employees to pursue reassignments, even if they amount to demotions, to fill these gaps. Notices are sent to employees offering to pay moving expenses for staff willing to transfer to critically understaffed offices.
May 14, 2025:POLITICO first reports on Wednesday morning that NOAA posted 155 job openings at the NWS.
House Democrats on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, including Rep. Zoe Lofgren and Rep. Gabe Amo, raise alarms about the staffing shortages at the NWS, warning the U.S. is ill-prepared for disasters ahead of hurricane season.
At a Capitol Hill event, Rep. Zoe Lofgren states that NOAA managers are "frantically trying to fill the gaps" and there appears to be a "panic level" to undo the damage to the weather service. Tom DiLiberto, a former NOAA official, speaks at the event, expressing concern about readiness for hurricane season and highlighting the shuttering of NOAA's database of billion-dollar disasters.
The Washington Post reports on the NOAA's scramble to fill forecasting jobs, noting the 155 vacancies and that some offices have stopped operating 24 hours a day due to thin staffing. The article mentions offices in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Wyoming, Michigan, Oregon, and Alaska are affected or expected to be affected by overnight closures.
The Independent reports on the situation, citing CNN's report of 155 jobs the NWS is trying to fill and The Washington Post's report about offering moving expenses. The article also mentions NOAA is retiring its tool to track billion-dollar weather and climate disasters. Dr. Andrew Hazelton, a former Hurricane Hunter who lost his job in the recent layoffs, comments on the situation.
May 27, 2025 (Deadline): The NWS is seeking to fill the 155 job vacancies by this date.
June 1, 2025 (Official Start): The Atlantic hurricane season officially begins. Offices in Fairbanks, Alaska, are expected to have overnight closures starting on this date due to vacancies.
Ongoing in 2025: NOAA staff is expected to fall by 20 percent due to retirements, deferred resignation programs, firings, and a forthcoming reduction-in-force.

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