California Democrats call for reinstatement of National Weather Service staff

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: NBC News

May 30, 2025, 1:15 PM EDT / Updated May 30, 2025, 2:08 PM EDT


California House Democrats on Friday demanded that the National Weather Service restore some terminated workers and begin hiring new forecasters after it halted around-the-clock operations at its Sacramento and Hanford weather forecasting offices, among others.

In a letter to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Laura Grimm, the acting administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 23 congressional Democrats decried recent cuts to the weather service, saying they represented the “beginning of a public safety crisis with potentially catastrophic consequences.” The weather service is a division of NOAA, which is overseen by the Commerce Department.

“We demand that you immediately reinstate all terminated workers at these offices, lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS, and ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations,” the congressional members wrote. More than 500 weather service staffers have left the agency since January, after the Trump administration fired probationary workers en masse and offered early retirements to an aging workforce of forecasters.

The cuts left about 43% of the nation’s 122 weather forecasting offices with staffing vacancies above 20%. Independent meteorologists have said cuts could lead to less effective forecasting and slower severe weather warnings. The public safety concerns have become a political pressure point for the administration. The California members of Congress wrote that the weather forecasting offices in Hanford and Sacramento were particularly hit hard, leaving them no longer able to provide 24/7 staffing.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/california-democrats-call-reinstatement-national-weather-service-staff-rcna209838

[Buddyzbuddy]

1. CA doesn't really have extreme weather.

Why is this the fight? Red States need to suffer the consequences of their actions. Do something that actually affects our state.
IMHO.

[quakerboy]

2. They have a lot of land

And fires happen.

Also death valley and dozens of ski resorts coexist in one state.

[Karasu]

3. Things have indeed gotten more extreme in CA thanks to climate change, and of course, that's only getting exponentially

Last edited Sat May 31, 2025, 03:41 AM - Edit history (1)

worse every year. It's one of the major factors in why the LA fires happened back in January.

In a great many other respects, I think red states are indeed reaping what they've sown, but access to quality weather reporting is something everyone should have. I'm fully on board with reversing this fucking idiotic shit that should never have happened in the first place if it wasn't for fucking DOGE.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. There is a whole range of mountains that get (or doesn't get enough) snow

We are talking a dozen feet of snow in single storm. And the snowmelt feeds reservoirs for drinking water. If excessive (sudden) melting happens, that can cause landslides, including along burn areas (where lightning can spark wildfires). You also have parts of the state that are literally in the desert (which has seen heat records).

That Central Valley area (where the one spearheading this represents) has a huge agricultural sector (e.g., avocados) and obviously weather forecasting is critical.

[Buddyzbuddy]

5. I understand the concern but there are other sources of weather forecast.

Contrary to what MTG believes we don't generate weather. We will get the snow and precipitation that mother nature provides. We in California should be constantly building infrastructure to preserve snow runoff and water retention. Forecast shouldn't impact that either way. We already know our environment is in danger. We even have a fire season. We know our typical patterns.

We in general don't go on alert for hurricanes, tornadoes or "ice bombs". Canadian forecasts can help our Northern States. There are also European models of weather forecast.

I'm not saying we don't need National Weather forecasts, what I am saying is those that need it most will suffer the consequence of their votes. Red States, predominately. Farmers, tornado alley, the states that don't believe in climate change. The states that rely the most on FEMA. I sincerely feel bad for the Democrats and children that live in those areas. And as much as I hate Republicans right now, I still feel compassion when the news features people that have experienced devastation caused by weather in spite of their political leanings.

But, like George Lopez says "how they gonna learn?"

[BumRushDaShow]

6. "We know our typical patterns. "

Like this?

Muskrat's bullshit "DOGE" devastated both SPC and WPC who provide the supplemental storm and hydrological services to the local weather offices.

Based on the natural current of the jetstream, as systems flow west to east off the Pacific and into the west coast, all kinds of weather monitoring (balloons, dropsondes, etc) normally happen, and that data is fed into the various weather models (GFS, NAM, etc).

When you slash and burn through that, your models will be less accurate (and the met field itself is already dealing with "probabilities" that can be way off as it is), and this will make it worse.

Climate change has impacted what was "normal weather" and has super-charged it into the extremes. Extreme temps, extreme winds, extreme rainfall, so things are no longer "regular" or "normal".

Having a TS spin up EARLY (as one has done right now in the eastern Pacific) during a "normal" monsoon season, can mean devastation in the desert with flooding, so that needs to be watched but can't be when you cut your staff.





(as a note, I am a 55 year weather hobbyist)

[Buddyzbuddy]

7. The keyword is typical as in usual.

Weather phenomenons will always present themselves and thanks to climate deniers, more often and more devastating but the National weather service is a warning system, not a deterrent. Nobody here is downplaying the need for a system of weather forecast. I just think CA efforts for a National system shouldn't be our focus. I trust our state to handle emergencies as needed.

We need to outlast the Felon for approx. 3.75 years. I think CA has more important things to worry about over that time.

Like creating a state fund to make up for the loss of FEMA, which I know still exists but not for CA. Or making up the difference for the loss of Federal funds for Medicaid/Medicare. Or our out of control homeless population. Or the threats of eliminating the Education Dept. and federal funds. I could go on and on. All of these issues are of immediate concern so please understand me when I say, fighting for a National weather service is not a 0 concern but I personally believe we have other issues that are a higher priority. And I stand by my opinion, thank you.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. "I just think CA efforts for a National system shouldn't be our focus"

Maybe I am misinterpreting what you are saying or you are misinterpreting the article but the article is basically about (D) members of the CA Congressional delegation ASKING the Department of Commerce (which houses NOAA & NWS) to put the staffing BACK that was cut in the state. They are not asking to reinvent any wheel.

Most of NOAA and the NWS field offices were already understaffed before the drug-addled lunatic came in with his trojan virus staff and took a chainsaw to the federal government infrastructure.

Not sure what you mean by "National system" but that is always how they operated since the earliest days when they enlisted the Army's Signal Corps to compile weather data nationwide (beginning in the early 1860s - the era of the Civil War), and the weather service organization progressed and morphed, over the next century, into what it is today.

https://library.noaa.gov/weather-climate/wb-annual-reports

I was trying for HOURS and HOURS looking for a copy of the actual letter since no one else was reporting this other than NBC News and that meant looking up the webpages/press releases for the primary ones mentioned in the article (and a few others that I randomly checked). The article quotes excerpts from it but I expect intentionally refused to link to a copy of it.

Rep. Jim Costa supposedly organized the draft of the letter and got his colleagues to sign it but there's nothing on his webpage about it.

I know that since this past Monday was a holiday and it was a short week, Congress was NOT in session this past week (they are on a "District Work Period" ), so I expect their staff just haven't uploaded it anywhere yet.

[Buddyzbuddy]

9. You are correct, I misread who was demanding this change.

I don't know why I thought is was our State legislature making this demand. It's entirely appropriate for Congress members to make this demand.

“We demand that you immediately reinstate all terminated workers at these offices, lift the federal hiring freeze for NWS, and ensure that the Sacramento and Hanford weather forecast offices are adequately staffed to maintain 24/7 operations,” the congressional members wrote.

When I read Sacramento and Hanford I immediately thought State Reps.
As you can tell my ire is also at a State level not just National.
Thank you for catching that and for the vigorous banter. And for providing us with so much good information on a daily basis.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. You have a gigantic state with a large population

doing a bunch of novel and sometimes outside-the-box stuff so I can see that as an issue (state legislature).

[Buddyzbuddy]

11. Thank you for allowing me a gracious out.

Now excuse me while I wipe the egg off my face.

[BumRushDaShow]

12. ...

(have been to the state twice - once to Los Angeles and the 2nd time to San Francisco )

[Buddyzbuddy]

13. I've driven through Pennsylvania twice.

Each way to and from Canton New York. I must say, it is the prettiest State I've had the pleasure of driving through.