Weather Service Plans to Hire 450 New Employees Following Termination of 600, According to Reports
The National Weather Service (NWS) is set to hire 450 new employees, including meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians, in a move aimed at addressing previous staffing shortages and improving public safety, particularly during hurricane season.
The decision comes after a federal hiring freeze that affected the NWS, resulting in a loss of about 600 employees. Of these, roughly 100 probationary employees were fired, and 500 took buyouts, leaving 10 out of 49 vacancies in forecasting offices in central Texas.
The increase in staffing is expected to enhance public safety and improve hurricane forecasting. With more skilled personnel, the NWS will be able to process weather data more effectively, increase the accuracy of forecasts, and provide better warnings during severe weather events like hurricanes. This could lead to more timely and reliable information for communities at risk, potentially saving lives and reducing damage.
The hiring announcement comes at the start of the busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season, with the National Hurricane Center currently monitoring two systems with the potential to develop. One disturbance off the coast of South Carolina has a 40% chance of developing into a tropical depression in the next week, while another moving over the central tropical Atlantic has a 50% chance.
NOAA has predicted a slightly above-normal season for this year, with 13-19 named storms, 6-10 of which could develop into hurricanes. This prediction underscores the importance of the NWS' efforts to bolster its workforce and improve its ability to forecast and communicate weather events.
The new hires or re-hires represent 17% of the NWS' workforce. However, it is unclear if the agency will be making all new hires or re-hiring some of the employees that were let go. Some former NWS officials have expressed concerns that the new hires might impact the agency's ability to communicate with local authorities after warnings are issued.
The staffing shortages at the NWS were revealed after deadly flash floods in Texas in July. In response, the agency claimed a public safety exemption in its plea to hire new people. The authorization comes after the NWS lobbied to be exempt from the federal hiring freeze that started when Trump took office.
In other news, NOAA in June said it would stop providing satellite data it has made available since 1962, but on July 30 confirmed it will keep running indefinitely. Meanwhile, Forbes is launching text message alerts for breaking news.
[1] National Weather Service to Hire 450 New Employees [2] NWS Hiring Authorization
[1] The National Weather Service (NWS) will hire 450 new employees, including meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians, to address previous staffing shortages, improve public safety, and enhance weather forecasting.
[2] The NWS has been granted an authorization to hire and re-hire personnel, following concerns raised after deadly flash floods in Texas and the agency's lobbying to be exempt from the federal hiring freeze during Trump's term. The new hires represent 17% of the agency's workforce, though it remains unclear if all new hires or some of the previous employees will be re-hired.
